Food safety in the home

Food safety in the home

Most of us are aware of the dangers of food poisoning, and supermarkets and restaurants are expected to sell us food that is safe to eat, but what can we do to ensure that we minimise the risk of food poisoning in our own homes? There are several areas that you need to focus on when looking at food safety in the home.

There are foods that are by their nature a higher risk then others if not stored properly. These are things like dairy products, including the cheese like Stilton, and deserts that are dairy based like crème caramels, items like eggs and also cooked foods like sliced meats and fish, or even vegetables, cereals and pulses, or ready to eat items that contain things like mayonnaise or coleslaw.

All food has a "shelf life" even dried goods such as pastas or tinned items, though these last much longer you should still check their labels regularly to make sure they haven’t gone past their best before dates and if the tin has rusted or the carton is leaking, discard the food.

When storing items in your fridge, try to make sure that any raw foods are below your cooked and ready to eat food. If you only use half a tin of something, transfer the remainder into a storage container and remember to use it within two days, do not put the tin in the fridge. Fridges should be kept below 5°C and remember a lot of foods, once opened now need to be refrigerated, so be sure to check the storage instructions on jars carefully.

When storing items such as flour, sugar or rice, transfer them into container or jar with a tight fitting lid to keep out pest like flour weevils out. If you have pets, make sure that their food is stored away from your own, and don’t allow them onto work surfaces where you will be preparing food, or share your bowls and utensils with them.

But food safety in the home isn’t just about how we store our food, but also how we prepare it to avoid cross contamination.

The most obvious thing to remember is to always wash your hands before touching any food, particularly if you have just been to the toilet or stroking your pet, and where possible use utensils instead of your fingers.

Keep cooked and ready to eat foods (such as salads) away from any raw foods (such as meats, and fish). If you have been preparing raw goods, wash and dry anything that has come into contact with it before using it on your ready to eat foods, so hands, chopping boards, knives, etc – that also goes for anything that you use to stir your cooking with. Never place cooked foods onto a plate used for raw food without washing it thoroughly first.

Most vegetables (unless marked ready to eat) need to be washed before you use them as they could have traces of soil, and therefore bacteria, on them still. If you are cooking from frozen check the packaging to see if the item needs to be defrosted prior to cooking, and always follow the guide times for cooking from frozen to ensure that the food is hot all the way through.

Never refreeze foods that have been allowed to thaw and don’t use a microwave to defrost food unless you are cooking it straight away. If you are ill, especially with anything involving the digestive system (sickness or diarrhea for instance) then you should not be involved in the preparation of food for either yourself or others.

These are just the basics of food safety at home, you can get more in-depth information at The Food Standards Agency including helpful fact sheets.

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