Most cases of food poisoning occur from food that has been cooked
at home. Campylobacter is the most common germ that causes food
poisoning, followed by salmonella. Both of these food poisoning
bacteria are most commonly associated with poultry, although other
foods may be contaminated with these bugs.
When preparing and cooking food at home you should remember the 4
C's:
Cleaning
A clean kitchen is usually a healthy
kitchen, although bacteria may still lurk on surfaces that appear
to be spotless. Remember that if the cloth or towel that you are
using to clean is dirty, you will spread the dirt around the
kitchen.
It is recommended that antibacterial spray is used to clean food
preparation surfaces, although hot water will also kill most
bacteria.
Regular handwashing is also essential, especially after handling
raw meat.
Cross Contamination
Raw foods such as meat,
vegetables and fish can carry harmful bacteria before being cooked.
The cooking process will usually kill any harmful bugs that may be
on food.
Cross contamination occurs when bacteria is transferred from raw
foods to ready to eat foods.
- To avoid cross contamination remember to wash handles
thoroughly after handling raw foods.
- Sterilise any work surfaces or chopping boards used to chop raw
foods.
- Store raw foods at the bottom of the fridge so they cannot drip
onto other foods.
- Cover all food in the fridge or freezer.
Chilling
Keeping food in the fridge or freezer will stop harmful bacteria
from growing to a level where they may make you ill. Fridges should
operate below 8C and freezers below -18C.
All high risk, perishable foods should be kept chilled.
The safest way of defrosting food is to do it slowly overnight in
the fridge.
If you are cooling any food down, such as leftovers, this should be
done as quickly as possible with food then being covered and put
into the fridge.
Cooking
Heat kills bacteria. If food is thoroughly cooked it is almost
always safe to eat.
Test meat by placing a fork or skewer into the thickest part and
seeing if the juice runs clear. Alternatively, buy a probe
thermometer and check that the food is cooked to the core.
Remember, if you are having a barbecue to light the barbecue in
plenty of time and wait for the coals to become white. Food should
start to sizzle almost immediately when placed on the
barbecue.
If you want to barbecue large pieces of meat, it is often a good
idea to part cook them in a microwave or oven beforehand. If any
food is not cooked, replace on the barbecue or cook in an oven or
microwave until piping hot throughout.
You may also like to look at the Food Standards Agency information
pages at
http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/.