You may be familiar with the four C rules of food hygiene – clean, cook, cover and chill – but, like many of us, there might be other areas where your food hygiene skills need a bit of a refresher!
About 200,000 New Zealanders become sick with food poisoning each year. and many of the ways we store, prepare and cook food increases our risk of getting sick with disease-causing bacteria like Campylobacter, E-coli and Salmonella.
Here’s our top tips for making sure the food we eat doesn’t send us running to the bathroom with abdominal cramps, diarrhoea or vomiting:
1. Never wash raw chicken
Chicken is the main offender for spreading serious tummy bugs. It needs careful handling when it is raw. You might be great at remembering to wash your hands before and after touching raw chicken, but do you get carried away and wash the chicken before you prepare it? This common practice is a big no-no. Washing chicken in your kitchen sink can lead to contamination of your work surfaces, cloths and cooking utensils.
2. Store raw meat at the bottom of your fridge
Bacteria can be found on any raw meat – not just chicken. Raw beef, pork, lamb and seafood are all possible sources of contamination. To ensure any meat juices don’t drip onto other food, raw meat should be covered and stored at the bottom of your fridge.
3. Separate raw and ready-to-eat food
Make sure your ready-to-eat food, such as fruit and vegetables, are kept well away from raw meat. This includes in your supermarket trolley – don’t put that packet of mince on top of your apples!
4. Use a different plate for raw and cooked meat
Having a BBQ? Make sure the plate you’ve carried the meat to the grill with goes back inside to get washed, and you use a clean plate to serve the cooked meat.
5. Use different coloured chopping boards
Use separate chopping boards for different types of food. Invest in coloured chopping boards – or paint a splash of colour on the ones you already have – such as red for raw meat and green for fruit and vegetables.
6. Use different knives to cut meat
Remember to use one knife to cut meat and another to chop up your veggies or bread.
Do you have a food safety tip of your own? Why not let us know down below!
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