Here's our guide to help you eat food at its best..
Shopping
- Always select your dried goods before selecting refrigerated or frozen items.
- Never choose meat or poultry in packaging that is torn or leaking.
- Keep chilled/frozen foods together in your shopping trolley, so they help stay cold
- Keep raw foods (fresh meat, fresh poultry, wet fish and vegetables) seperate from cooked and ready-to-eat foods
From shop to home
The journey from shop to home can make a lot of difference to the condition of your food, so it is well worth following a few simple guidelines:
Pack cleaning products such as bleach seperately from food
Pack chilled/frozen foods together, preferably in a cool bag or insulated container
Remember the boot of your car is the coolest place
Keep journey times short - take food shopping home as quickly as possible. Avoid leaving it in a warm car, office or carrying it around with you for any length of time
At home
When you're preparing food, remember the 4 Cs - cleaning, cooking, chilling and cross-contamination..
Chilling
Refrigeration slows down the growth of bacteria and freezing virtually suspends it so its important to keep your cold foods cold to help them keep fresh and safe
Chilled and frozen food should go straight into the refrigerator or freezer
Always follow storage instructions on pack
Check your fridge is operating between 0-5C and that the rubber door seals are not damaged
Defrost the fridge/freezer regularly unless you have a frost free or automatic defrost model
Do not overload the fridge, since that prevents cold air circulating around the food
Do not open the door more than necessary
Do not put hot food into the fridge-allow it to cool before refrigerating
Cross-contamination
The transfer of bacteria from raw to cooked or ready-to-eat foods can be easily avoided.
Keep raw meat, poultry, fish and their juices away from other food
Store raw foods in sealed containers below cooked and ready-to-eat food to avoid drips
Use a separate chopping board for raw and ready to eat foods
After cutting raw meats, wash cutting board, utensils and countertops with hot soapy water
Prevent cross contamination by keeping food covered or in lidded containers
We support the advice of the Food Standards Agency that pregnant women, children, the elderly and anyone with low resistance to infection should avoid: Raw or undercooked meat; Raw or undercooked eggs; Pates (unless marked 'pasteurised'); Soft Mould Ripened Cheese; Oysters; Undercooked ready meals.
Cooking
Be patient!!
Always completely thaw frozen meat and poultry before cooking.
Follow cooking times on packaging and in recipes accurately and pre-heat the oven according to the instructions to ensure even cooking.
Cook food thoroughly-large meat joints and whole poultry need special care to ensure the centre is well cooked.
Always cook raw meat and poultry until it is piping hot throughout and the juices run clear
Cooked foods should only be reheated once
Make sure you re-heat food until it is piping hot throughout, not just warmed through
If cooking or re-heating in a microwave, follow any on-pack instructions, otherwise stir the food midway through its cooking time if possible and leave to stand for a minute after heating to allow the product temperature to equalise
If you are taking your food elsewhere to be eaten e.g a packed lunch or picnic, use an insulated bag or cool box and eat within 4 hours of preparation
Barbecuing
When barbecuing, especially raw poultry, meat or fish, it is important to ensure that the barbecue temperature is not too fierce, causing the food to cook too quickly on the outside, but remain uncooked in the centre. This could mean that potentially harmful bacteria are not destroyed and could cause illness. It is also important that separate crockery and utensils are used to handle raw and cooked meat, so that cross contamination is avoided.
When barbecuing try to think about the:
- Thickness of meat – the thicker the cut of meat or burger you wish to barbecue, the longer the centre will take to cook. For this reason, we strongly recommend pre-cooking meat and ‘bone in’ poultry portions and whole birds before barbecuing. It is important to ensure that all food is piping hot throughout, that no pink remains and that the juices run clear prior to serving
- Temperature of food – never barbecue food directly from frozen unless stated otherwise on the packaging
Cleaning
You can help protect your family by following these simple tips:
Always wash hands thoroughly before and after handling food particularly raw meat, going to the toilet, touching pets or touching the bin
Don't forget to dry your hands thoroughly, because if they are wet they will spread bacteria more easily
Make sure cuts and grazes are covered with a waterproof dressing before preparing food
Frequently clean work surfaces, taps, chopping boards, knives and utensils especially after contact with raw meat, poultry and fish
To minimise the risk of cross contamination, use separate equipment such as knives and chopping boards for raw and cooked food
Bleach or disinfect kitchen cloths regularly and frequently launder tea towels and hand towels
Empty and wash rubbish bins regularly
Keep food covered to discourage flies and other insects
Do not let your pets sit on work surfaces, and always use separate bowls and utensils for preparing their food
To prevent the possible spread of disease, avoid preparing food if you are suffering from or have recently been suffering from sickness or diarrhoea
For more information on how to cook and store your food safely go to the Food Standards Agency website.
