Food Safety
The New Zealand food safety authority estimates foodborne illness strikes about 200,000 New Zealanders every year. Nearly half of these (at least 40%) are attributed to food handling, preparation or storage in the home
Here are some tips that will assist you in ensuring that the food you eat is safe – especially during the warmer months of the year.
When food shopping
- Check ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates.
- Avoid buying cans of food that are swollen.
- Avoid vacuum-sealed packs that appear loose or saggy.
- Avoid chilled products that don’t feel cold, or frozen products that don’t feel solid as this suggests the store may have erratic or incorrect fridge/freezer temperatures.
- Avoid hot foods that are not steaming hot, such as rotisserie chickens.
- Ensure raw meat and chicken is packed in separate bags to other food items.
- Avoid leaving food in the car after shopping, instead go straight home and pack it away.
Food Storage
- Keep cold food cold – below 4°C. Ensure that your refrigerator is 4°C or lower.
- Cover foods before refrigeration to make sure that food from one dish does not spill into another dish.
- Cool leftovers quickly by putting in the refrigerator as soon as they stop steaming and use within 2-3 days.
- Store raw meat at the bottom of the fridge to avoid juice dripping onto other foods.
- Store foods that are likely to be eaten without cooking (e.g. leftover meats, ham, and pre-cooked rice) at the top of the fridge.
- Check that your freezer is below minus 18°C.
- Food should only be frozen once – never thaw out then refreeze.
- In the pantry keep foods in airtight containers to reduce the likelihood of unwanted visits from various insects.
Preparation
- Wash hands thoroughly before preparing food and after going to the toilet or handling pets. Using soap and warm water, wash for 20 seconds, then dry for 20 seconds.
- Use separate chopping boards for cooked and raw foods.
- Wash utensils such as knives, chopping boards, tongs etc with hot water and detergent in between handling raw and cooked food.
- Don’t thaw foods at room temperature; instead, thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator or microwave.
- Use paper towels rather than dishcloths to clean up messy spills such as raw meat juice.
- Wash all fruit and vegetables before use.
Cooking and Reheating
- Cook food thoroughly and keep hot food hot (i.e. above 60°C).
- Most food bacteria grow between temperatures of 5°C and 60°C – this is the temperature danger zone. Keep foods out of this zone to slow down or prevent bacteria growth.
- Heat foods to above 75°C to kill most bacteria. When reheating food, also ensure that it is heated to above 75°C. Where possible, check the temperature with a meat thermometer. Meat thermometers can be bought from most shops that stock kitchenware.
Food safety in Pregnancy
During pregnancy extra care is required with food preparation and choice as many bugs that naturally occur on foods and have no effect on adults may be harmful to unborn children. Cold meats, soft cheeses and raw eggs and seafood should be avoided and all fruit and vegetables should be washed thoroughly.