Food Safety Week

 7 - 13 June 2010

Give food bugs the red card this summer

Every summer sees an increase in the number of food poisoning cases but by taking a few simple steps you can make sure your family and friends don’t fall foul of the food bugs.

To mark Food Safety Week  Ashford Borough Council is reminding people about the importance of good food hygiene in the home, particularly important during the summer months, when levels of food poisoning soar.

Every year sees the number of cases increasing as the weather gets warmer and eating outside and barbeques become more popular and we expect even more parties this summer as people enjoy the World Cup with family and friends.

But there are some simple common sense steps people can take to avoid getting ill. Just storing, handling and cooking food properly will minimise the risk.

Proper cooking will kill food bugs. It's especially important to make sure poultry, pork, burgers and sausages are cooked all the way through. If there's any pink meat or the juices have any pink or red in them, germs could be lurking!  Check your food is steaming hot all the way through before serving.

Other simple steps include:

• Avoid cross-contamination preventing bacteria from spreading between foods and from contaminated surfaces or utensils.
• Always make sure your hands are clean
• Make sure you store raw meat covered and at the bottom of the fridge, below and away from ready-to-eat food
• Never use the same chopping board for raw meat and ready-to-eat foods without washing the board and knife thoroughly first
• Store food at the right temperature.
• Food that needs to be chilled should be kept in the fridge, and check that it’s running at the right temperature - between 0°C and 5°C.  Storage above this can allow bacteria to grow or harmful toxins to form. 
• For picnics, don't take food out of the fridge until the last minute and use a cool bag to keep it chilled until ready to eat.

For more advice on food safety go to http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/

The 4 Cs of Food Safety

• Cleaning
• Cooking
• Cross contamination
• Chilling

Cleaning      

• Clean kitchen surfaces after preparing foods
• Try to 'clean as you go'.
• After handling raw meat, poultry, fish and other raw foods always wash hands, utensils and surfaces thoroughly and before any contact with other food, especially cooked and ready-to-eat foods.
• Use the right materials for the job
• Detergents such as washing up liquids are designed to dissolve grease, oil and dirt.
•  Disinfectants, such as bleach, are designed to kill germs. These are powerful agents and should not be used   indiscriminately.
• Anti-bacterial cleaners are types of disinfectant and can kill germs - they often come in spray form
• Always follow the instructions.
• Use separate buckets and cloths for cleaning floors.
• Give your kitchen a thorough 'spring clean' periodically.
• Always clean surfaces first with detergent to remove any grease or dirt, then apply disinfectant to kill any remaining germs.
• Use separate cloths or sponges for separate tasks; where practicable use disposable cloths. If using them more than once, wash in hot water and soap then place in a suitable disinfectant, rinse thoroughly and allow to dry. Do not soak overnight as disinfectant solutions weaken and may allow bacteria to grow.

Cooking

• Follow recipes and label instructions on cooking times and temperatures. Remember to pre-heat the oven properly.
• Check food is piping hot before serving.
• Double check that sausages, burgers, pork and poultry are cooked right through; they should not be 'rare' or pink in the middle and when pierced with a knife any juices that run out of the meat should be clear, not bloody.
• Don't cook foods too far in advance. Once cooked, keep foods covered and piping hot (above 63°C) until it's time to eat them.
• When using the microwave stir foods and drinks and allow them to stand for a couple of minutes to avoid hot or cold spots.

Cross contamination

• Food poisoning is often caused when harmful bacteria on one food are spread via hands or kitchen utensils to cross-contaminate other foods. Good hygiene helps prevent this.
• Keep raw foods separate from cooked and ready-to-eat food at all times. In particular keep raw meat, fish, poultry and other raw foods away from ready-to-eat foods such as salads, bread and sandwiches.
• Never put cooked food on a plate which has previously held raw foods until it has been thoroughly washed.
• Ideally use separate chopping boards for raw and cooked foods.
• Wash hands after handling raw foods and before touching other foods and utensils.

Chilling

• Do not put hot food directly into the fridge or freezer, let it cool sufficiently first; but remember that cooling should be completed within one or two hours after cooking.
• To speed cooling divide foods into smaller portions, place in a wide dish and stand this in a shallow tray of cold water.

'Use by’ and ‘best before’ dates

• Don’t use food or drink after the 'use by' date on the label, even if it looks and smells fine. These foods can be kept longer if cooked or frozen before the end of the 'use by' date.
• Best before' dates are more about quality than safety, so when the date runs out it doesn't mean that the food will be harmful, but it might begin to lose its flavour and texture. However, you shouldn't eat eggs after the 'best before' date.