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 super-
market and home. It then took 11 hours to get
down to 7°C in the refrigerator.
■
Keep the refrigerator door closed as much as pos-
sible.
■
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 until cool. (Leave
food in a cool place in order that it can then be
placed in the refrigerator 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.
■
Remove suspect food from your refrigerator and
clean (Refer to “Maintenance and cleaning”).
■
Never allow spillages to dry and harden.
■
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 debris.
■
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 sur-
face or knife, without washing them thoroughly
in between.
Health and Safety Guidelines
7
