Advice and tips
- Keep perishable high risk foods such as meat, fish eggs and milk products under refrigeration (use a thermometer to check your fridge is below 8 degrees centigrade);
- Avoid cross contamination of bacteria between raw and cooked foods by storing raw meat, fish and poultry in a suitable container in the bottom of the fridge;
- Cooked and ready to eat food should be kept on the top shelves;
- Use different utensils and cutting boards etc for raw and ready to eat foods. Wash these utensils in hot soapy water in between preparing different foods;
- Don't leave cooked meat, fish or dairy foods at room temperature. Keep them piping hot or cold;
- Make sure food is cooked thoroughly, all the way through - meat juices should run clear;
- Cool food quickly and never reheat food more than once. Make sure it is piping hot when reheated;
- Make sure frozen food is completely defrosted before cooking unless the manufacturer's instructions say otherwise;
- Wash hands thoroughly before preparing food, as you go and after handling raw meat, use antibacterial soap;
- Keep your kitchen and equipment clean, consider using an antibacterial spray;
- Check the best before and use-by dates on packaging before eating.
- Live Well provides useful information on how to ensure food prepared and stored at home is safe and healthy.