15
HEALTH AND SAFETY GUIDELINES
Because of consumer demand, preservatives have been
removed from many pre-prepared foods. This together
with the changes in shopping habits to a once-a-week
shop, mean that safe handling and storage of food is
even more important than ever.
The following tips should help you to ensure that the
food in your home is in as perfect condition as possible.
“
Keep the time between buying chilled food and
placing it in your fridge as short as possible. Tests
showed that the temperature of 1 litre of orange
juice rose to 22
°
C in an hour between the
supermarket and home. It then took 11 hours to
get down to 7
°
C in the refrigerator.
“
Keep the refrigerator door closed as much as
possible. Remember that warm air is flowing in
as you are deciding what to have for tea!
“
Do not push food together too much, try to allow
air to circulate around each item.
“
Cool cooked food as quickly as possible but do
NOT place in the refrigerator or freezer until
cool. (Leave food in a place as cool as possible in
order that it can then be placed in the
refrigerator or freezer as soon as possible).
“
Do NOT mix raw and cooked meat, they must be
in separate containers. Take care not to let the
meat juices drip onto other food. If the meat does
drip, remove everything and clean thoroughly.
“
Do not store food uncovered.
“
The best way to defrost food is to put it in the
refrigerator to thaw slowly.
“
Remove suspect food from your refrigerator and
clean the interior with a solution of bicarbonate of
soda in warm water (5ml to 0.5 litre of water).
“
Never allow spillages to dry and harden.
“
Ensure that food placed in the freezer is dated
and labelled and used in date order to ensure that
food is consumed at its best.
“
It is important that food is used before its “best
before” date.
“
Store eggs in the egg rack provided in the
refrigerator door. Discard any broken or chipped
eggs.
“
Regularly check the refrigerator door seal to
ensure that it is clean and free from bits and
pieces.
“
Always wash your hands with soapy water and
dry them with a clean towel before handling food.
“
Keep work surfaces clean and avoid cross
contamination by not using the same work
surface or knife, without washing them
thoroughly in between.
“
Use kitchen roll wherever possible for cleaning
up food. If you use a dishcloth, be sure to boil it
frequently.
