Korea's food safety ministry warns of autumn picnic food poisoning risk

South Korea's food and drug safety ministry on Monday urged people heading out for autumn foliage trips to follow food-safety rules, citing seasonal data showing autumn is the country's second-biggest season for food poisoning after summer.

Autumn averaged 73 food poisoning cases a year over the past five years, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said, accounting for 24 percent of the total. Summer recorded 107 cases a year, or 36 percent, while spring averaged 65 cases and winter 55.

The ministry attributed the autumn risk to wide day-to-night temperature swings, which leave daytime temperatures high enough for food left at room temperature to spoil, and to lapses in how ingredients are handled and in personal hygiene.

For packed lunches and takeaway food, the ministry advised buying only as much as will be eaten and checking that containers and packaging are not damaged or contaminated before eating as soon as possible. If a meal cannot be eaten right away, it should be kept refrigerated between 0 and 5 degrees Celsius and not left at room temperature for long periods. Food should also be kept out of hot places such as the inside of a car in direct sunlight, and carried in a cooler when eating outdoors.

It pointed to its five-point prevention checklist, known in Korean as "son-bo-gu-ga-se," which covers hand-washing, storage temperatures, keeping utensils separate, thorough cooking and washing and disinfecting.

The ministry said it is distributing videos explaining the autumn picnic guidelines through its Food Safety Korea website, YouTube and its social media channels.