With football in season, the Dallas County Health Department wants to caution people to be smart around food and alcohol at tailgates or watch parties.

Community Health Educator Natalie Peters pinpoints food safety as a main concern for tailgating, as food is cooked and left in the sun, which potentially leads to food borne illnesses. She suggests some tips to help combat that issue.

“You should use coolers with ice packs when you transport perishable food, and then if you put like a thermometer inside the cooler, that way you can be sure that it stays at that 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, like a fridge is recommended to be. Avoid cross contamination with raw meat by using clean utensils, platters, and plates to serve the cooked food versus the raw food, and then finally just don’t let food sit out for longer than two hours and even less while it’s still warm outside.”

Peters knows that liquor serves as a big component to watch parties and informs people to avoid dehydration.

“You should be sure to eat a full meal before drinking alcohol, and then continue eating and snacking throughout the day to keep some food in your stomach. And then drinking plenty of water between your alcoholic beverages just to make sure your body is staying hydrated, and then you should follow the one in one rule, which means that you’re only drinking one serving of alcohol per hour, so that way your body can safely absorb what you’re drinking.”

Peters mentions that people should pay attention to the weather ahead of time to dress appropriately with either headwear or eyewear.