Food Poisoning And Food Safety

Food Poisoning can an invisible killer.
Food hygiene and safety tips when handling food at home.

Why is food safety so important?
Each year around 80,000 people in the UK report poisoning by food. 
In the US there are over 300,000 cases reported.  This is not because US food is less safe but due to population ratio.

There is Healthy and Safety legislation for the workplace but this does not apply to the domestic kitchen.  Lack of food safety awareness may seriously put you and your loved ones at risk.

What causes food poisoning?
This is caused by micro-organisms (germs, bacteria, viruses and funghus).  Many cases of food poisoning can be prevented by following good practices of food hygiene.

Pay particular attention to high risk foods. 

What are high risk foods?
High risk foods are foods where bacteria are most likely to grow and the likelihood of cross contamination is higher.  Also ready to eat foods that will not be cooked at high temperatures to kill bacteria (raw food, shellfish, cured fish, cheese and salads).




Cross contamination is responsible for most cases
of food poisoning.  Germs are not seen by the naked eye and may be odorless.  Prevention is best policy.




How to prevent/minimize the risk of food cross contamination?

• Clean kitchen surfaces with antibacterial agent before, during and after preparing food.  This also applies to chopping boards, knives and all cooking equipment. 
• Wash your hands before, during and after preparing food to reduce the risk of contamination.
• Use separate kitchen towels for ready to eat food and raw food.
• Keep ready to eat food and raw food separate in the fridge. 
• Ready to eat food must be kept above the raw food fridge shelf.  This is because raw food may contain harmful bacteria which spread onto cooked food that was on top.
• Wrap ingredients individually before storing in the fridge.
• Cold food should be kept at 8 degrees Celsius.  Once out of the fridge is must be consumed within 4 hours.
• Hot food should be kept at 63 degrees Celsius or above.  It must be consumed within 2 hours once taken off the heat.
• Sanitize fridge/cupboard door handles and water taps daily.
• Do not consume food past its sell by date.
• Once food tins are open it should be treated as fresh foods.
• Do not consume food which may be bruised, damaged or discolored.
• Do not use cracked or broken equipment.  This is because germs can live in cracked crockery or tools.
• To avoid possible cross contamination it is highly recommended to change from outdoor clothes.

Microwave Safety
Microwaves can be a high risk product is serious caution is not applied.
Avoid plastic containers in the microwave.  Dioxins from plastic have been linked to breast cancer.
We all know about not putting metal inside a microwave but not everyone is aware of the danger of superheated water! More information

Facts You Should Know:

• Cross contamination- Germs multiply every 20 minutes.  Even in the cleanest of kitchens there are germs, a mug of coffee may only contain 10 germs but once left overnight, it may contain 100,000 germs in the morning.
• Temperature- The ideal temperature for germs to grow is at room temperature or at 37 degrees Celsius, although germs can still multiply in temperatures between 5 and 63 degrees Celsius. Germs spread most in warm and moist conditions.
• Surfaces- To the naked eye, the fridge and toaster for example, may appear clean but still contain bacteria.  Clean the fridge regularly inside and out, mould grows fast even around the door.  Empty the toaster of all bread crumbs residue to avoid accumulation of bacteria.
• Staphylococcus is the most common germ to cause food poisoning because it lives on the hands and be easily passed on.  Hence why washing your hands regularly during the cooking process is so important!
• High risk foods are usually high in protein.  Bread is not a high risk food because it is low in protein.
• Freezing does not kill bacteria.  Their growth stops, germs hibernate but still need to be killed by cooking at high temperatures.
• Germs may not alter the look, smell and taste of the food.
  

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