Food Safety Advice

We've put together some tips to help you prepare, handle, cook and store foods safely to minimise the risk of getting food poisoning.

Stop these germs getting into food by:

• storing raw and cooked food apart - raw meat must ALWAYS be kept on the bottom shelf of the fridge
• use separate utensils and chopping boards for raw and cooked foods
• wash your hands with soap in hot running water after handling raw foods
• do not smoke or eat when handling food.

Kill the germs by:

• Thawing frozen poultry and joints of meat completely before cooking - meat should be thawed in a container in the bottom of the fridge
• Cooking food thoroughly - poultry should always be cooked until the juices run clear
• If you want to keep food for later, cool it quickly (ideally within two hours) and put it in the fridge as soon as possible or keep it hot in the oven - if food is stored at the correct temperature, germs cannot grow.

Keep other germs off food:

• don't eat foods made with raw eggs, such as home made mayonnaise, some mousses and desserts
• we strongly recommend you DO NOT drink unpasteurised (green top) milk
• if your milk bottles are pecked by birds the milk should be thrown away
• keep pets and pet food away from food, work surfaces and utensils
• wash your hands after using the toilet, before and after preparing food, after handling pets and emptying any waste bins
• avoid preparing food for other people if you have sickness or diarrhoea
• always keep food covered.