The football season is here, and no matter if your tailgate party involves a prep, college or pro game, food safety needs to be a part of the event playbook.

U.S. Department of Agriculture food safety expert Meredith Carothers said tailgaters should start planning before they leave home.

“As you’re preparing to go to a tailgate and preparing your food and what menu you’re going to have and what you’re going to set up, take into account how far it is that you’re driving and transporting food safely,” Carothers said. “So, consider putting your raw burgers, your hot dogs, cheese, lettuce and other fixings and other perishables into a cooler with ice or cold sources.”

Perishable food should not be exposed to room temperature for more than two hours—or more than one hour on extremely hot days—as this increases the risk of foodborne bacteria.

“You have to factor in the drive time, the setup time, and that could sometimes be a few hours before you actually are throwing your burgers onto your charcoal grill,” Carothers said. “So, a cooler with ice is very important, or a cooler with cold sources to keep your foods.”