Fridges and Food Safety

 


Keep food safe


Food poisoning affects hundreds of thousands of people each year - it's painful and costly. It's not just food businesses who are guilty of causing illness - much of it comes from our own homes.

Check out the five tips for fridge safety below and minimise your family's chances of getting food poisoning.

Five favorite fridge facts


1.       Some foods have to be chilled to reduce bacterial growth, so you must check the temperature of your fridge regularly: it should be between 2oC and 5oC. To do this you will need a thermometer - they cost approximately £3 and are available from most large supermarkets or chemist shops.

2.       Raw meats, burgers and sausages etc are considered to be unsafe until cooked. Therefore you must never store them next to ready-to-eat foods. Wrap all raw meat and store at the bottom of the fridge, so it doesn't drip onto other food. Always wash your hands and equipment after touching raw meat.

3.       Let hot food cool before putting into the fridge otherwise it'll raise the fridge temperature.

4.       Don't leave food uncovered: use food grade containers or wrapping. Don't store food in opened tins/cans.

5.       Check food labeling carefully, for example, many foods have to be consumed within 3 days of opening. Always check use-by dates of food in fridges. Throw away all food past it's use-by date.

Food Safety is an important issue that affects all of us.

If you have any questions regarding food safety matters please call us on 020 8891 7994

http://richmond.gov.uk/fridges_and_food_safety

Fridge/Freezer Maintenance

Make sure your fridge/freezer stays clean and in good working condition:

  • Use a thermometer to check fridge and freezer temperatures. The coldest part of the fridge should be at no more than +5°C and the freezer at -18°C or below.
  • Avoid overloading. If a fridge is over-packed with food or iced up it's harder to keep the temperature down.
  • Clean all internal and external surfaces often, especially fridge shelves and door storage compartments. Mop up any spills as soon as they happen.
  • Defrost your fridge/freezer regularly.

Babies - food preparation guidelines

Babies' immune systems are less developed than adults. For this reason you must take extra care when preparing food for babies and young children.

  • Be a clean cook and have good personal hygiene standards to keep bacteria (germs) at bay
  • Wipe high chairs, bibs and eating areas with an anti-bacterial cleaner before and after every meal
  • Keep kitchen surfaces extra clean - including the floor
  • Store food in a fridge between 0-5 degrees centigrade and use within 48 hours
  • Always follow food equipment instructions
  • Change kitchen towels and kitchen cloths daily or more often if dirty

Teach your children to wash their hands after visiting the toilet or touching pets.

 Food storage tips

  • Store food safely
  • Control food temperatures
  • Always follow instructions on cooking times and temperatures
  • Throw away any uneaten foods


Tips for using ready made foods

  • Check date marks - you must follow the use-by dates
  • Check safety seals are intact when first opening food packaging
  • Read labels and carefully follow all instructions on storage, preparation and cooking times and temperatures
  • Never leave foods in open cans.

Tips for preparing food at home

  • Defrost frozen ingredients thoroughly - unless stated on the labels.
  • Cook foods thoroughly, until piping hot, then allow to cool until comfortable to eat.
  • Cook eggs until white and yolk are solid, or use pasteurised egg products.

Babies' immune systems are less developed than adults'. That puts them at greater risk of illness so take extra care:

  • For young babies, wash bottles in hot soapy water and sterilise using sterilising solution or a steam steriliser.
  • When adding water to baby foods, milks and other drinks always use cooled, boiled water.
  • Cook foods thoroughly until piping hot and cool rapidly until comfortable to eat.
  • Cook eggs until the white and yolk are solid or use pasteurised egg products.

Barbeque safety


Whatever you’re cooking up this summer, keep food safe for friends and family with our food safety tips. Bugs such as E.coli O157, salmonella and campylobacter can cause serious illness. But you can steer clear of food poisoning by taking some simple steps.

When you’re barbecuing, the biggest risk of food poisoning is from raw and undercooked meat.

Always make sure you cook chicken, pork, burgers, sausages and kebabs until they’re piping hot all the way through, none of the meat is pink and any juices run clear.

If you’re barbecuing for lots of people, you could cook meat indoors and finish it off on the barbecue for added flavour.
Remember, when you reheat food on the barbecue, always make sure it’s piping hot all the way through before serving.

How can I make sure barbecued food is cooked properly?

  • Wait until the charcoal is glowing red, with a powdery grey surface, before you start to cook.
  • Make sure frozen food is properly thawed before you cook it.
  • Turn the food regularly, and move it around the barbecue, to cook it evenly.
  • Check that the centre of the food is piping hot.

Don’t assume that if meat is charred on the outside that it will be cooked properly on the inside.

Why should I keep raw meat away from ready-to-eat food?
Raw meat can contain food poisoning bugs. So if raw meat touches or drips onto food that is already cooked or ready to eat, the bugs can get onto that food. Bugs can also transfer onto food from your hands, chopping board, knife or tongs. This is called cross-contamination. You can prevent it by doing the following things.

  • Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw meat.
  • Use separate utensils for raw and cooked meat.
  • Never put cooked food on a plate or surface that has been used for raw meat.
  • Keep raw meat in a sealed container away from ready-to-eat foods, such as burger buns and salads.
  • Don’t put raw meat products next to cooked or partially cooked meat on the barbecue.

Don’t add sauce or marinade to cooked food if it has already been used with raw meat Safe Sizzling on

Other tips for outdoor eating
Warm summer weather is perfect for bacteria to grow, so it’s especially important to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold until you’re ready to eat them.
If you’re having a buffet, try to keep the food out of the fridge for the shortest time possible. If there are any leftovers from a buffet or barbecue, throw them away or put them in the fridge as soon as you can. When you take leftovers out of the fridge, eat them immediately or reheat them thoroughly straight away – don’t leave them standing around at room temperature.

It’s especially important to keep the following foods chilled:

  • food containing cream, such as trifle, cream cakes and desserts
  • meat and poultry
  • food containing raw eggs


When you’re going on a picnic, you should also be careful to keep food cool. Don’t take it out of the fridge until the last minute and use a cool bag to keep it chilled until you’re ready to eat. Always try to wash your hands before eating but, if you can’t, you could use antiseptic hand wipes instead.


When you’re eating outdoors you should also remember to:

  • keep food covered whenever possible – this is to protect it from insects, birds and pets, which can carry bugs.
  • wash fruit and salad vegetables thoroughly.

Food safety : Keeping food safe


Ensuring good hygiene in your kitchen can prevent food poisoning.

These are the main steps to keep food safe:

  • follow good personal hygiene
  • cook foods thoroughly
  • keep foods at the right temperature
  • prevent cross-contamination
  • keep the kitchen clean Keeping Food Safe

Cooking
Proper cooking kills bacteria such as salmonella and campylobacter. It's important to cook food right through, especially meat. If you eat or serve undercooked food you are risking food poisoning.
If meat is properly cooked the centre of the meat shouldn't be pink and the juices should run clear when tested with a skewer. When using a skewer, make sure it is clean each time you use it. To be an effective test, the skewer should pierce the middle of the meat or the centre of the thickest part, which on a whole chicken would generally be the breast or thigh.

 If you are cooking a ready-prepared meal, always make sure the food is piping hot all the way through before serving. Don't assume that the instructions on the packaging will be sufficient, because ovens vary. If you are cooking a frozen ready-prepared meal, follow the instructions for cooking from frozen, or make sure it is completely thawed before cooking. Always make sure the food is piping hot all the way through.

When reheating food you also need to ensure it's piping hot all the way through and don't reheat it more than once.

Handwashing
Washing your hands before and during food preparation is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of food poisoning bacteria.

A survey by the Food and Drink Federation, published during National Food Safety Week 2001, found that:

  • 26% of men and 17% of women said they do not always wash their hands before preparing food
  • 31% of men and 17% of women said they do not regularly wash their hands after using the toilet


If you don't wash your hands before food preparation, your hands could be covered in dirt and bacteria from the toilet, the bin or from many other sources inside and outside the home. These could then be transferred onto food and cause food poisoning.

It's also very important to wash your hands after handling raw foods because you could spread bacteria from them to other foods (cross-contamination).

Make sure you wash hands thoroughly, using warm water and a liquid soap. Work up a good lather and make sure you wash your wrists, hands, fingers, thumbs, fingernails, and in between the fingers. Rinse the soap off your hands with clean water.

It's also important to dry your hands thoroughly because bacteria spread more easily if your hands are damp. Dry your hands on a clean hand towel, not on a tea towel or your apron.

And remember:

  • don't handle food when you are ill with stomach problems, such as diarrhoea or vomiting
  • don't touch food if you have sores or cuts, unless they are covered with a waterproof dressing

Storing
It's important to store food carefully, to stop it going off or becoming contaminated.

There are three main things to remember:

  • keep food at the right temperature
  • observe "Use by" dates
  • separate raw and ready-to-eat foods


You need to keep certain foods at the right temperature to prevent bacteria growing or toxins forming. Always look at the label on the packaging. If it says that the food needs to be refrigerated, make sure you keep it in the fridge.

If food that needs to be chilled is left standing at room temperature, food poisoning bacteria can grow and multiply to dangerous levels. Cooked leftovers should be cooled quickly and then put in the fridge within 1-2 hours. Putting food in shallow containers and dividing it into smaller amounts will speed up the cooling process.

Store raw meat in sealable containers at the bottom of the fridge, so it can't touch or drip onto ready-to-eat food.

Don't overload your fridge because this will hinder the circulation of cool air and might mean the food is not kept cold enough.

Cross-contamination
Cross-contamination is the transfer of bacteria from foods (usually raw) to other foods. The bacteria can be transferred directly when one food touches (or drips onto) another, or indirectly, for example from hands, equipment, work surfaces, or knives and other utensils. Cross-contamination is one of the major causes of food poisoning.

To prevent cross-contamination:

  • always wash your hands thoroughly after touching raw food
  • keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separate
  • use different chopping boards/work surfaces for raw food and ready-to-eat food
  • clean knives and other utensils thoroughly after use with raw food
  • store raw meat in sealable containers at the bottom of the fridge, so it can't drip onto other foods

Food safety : General advice


Chopping Boards
Wash and dry knives and chopping boards thoroughly after every use and especially between chopping raw meat, fish and poultry and chopping cooked and ready-to-eat foods. Ideally use separate chopping boards for raw and cooked foods.


Detergents
Detergents such as washing up liquids are designed to dissolve grease, oil and dirt.
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.

Washing Up Cloths
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.

Washing Hands
Wash your hands regularly throughout the day and especially:

  • Before: Preparing food; eating; caring for the sick, changing dressings, giving medicines; looking after babies or the elderly; starting work - especially if you are a food handler or health professional; putting in contact lenses.
  • Between: Handling raw foods (meat, fish, poultry and eggs) and touching any other food or kitchen utensils.
  • After: Preparing food, especially raw foods; going to the toilet; emptying rubbish/waste bins; changing nappies; caring for the sick, especially those with gastro-intestinal disorders; coughing or sneezing, especially if you are sick; handling and stroking pets or farm animals; gardening - even if you wear gloves; cleaning cat litter boxes.
  • Always use warm water. It’s better to wet hands before applying soap as this prevents irritation.
  • Rub hands together vigorously for about 15 seconds, making sure both sides of the hands are washed fully, around the thumbs, between each finger and around and under nails.
  • Rinse with clean water.
  • 1,000 times as many germs spread from damp hands than dry hands. Dry hands thoroughly. Use a clean dry towel, paper towel or air dryer; it doesn't matter which.

 

 

http://www.nhsborders.org.uk/view_item.aspx?item_id=17050  NHS Advise UK