- Food poisoning hits people hard, often and where it hurts, so why isn’t more care taken to prevent it?

Each year in Australia there are 5.4 million cases of food poisoning.

Nutritionist Matt O’Neill offers these tips:

 

To stay safe when handling food:

• Wash hands for 20 seconds with warm soapy water and dry hands for 20 seconds before cooking.
• Keep food chilled.
• Cook food thoroughly.
• Prepare food separately.

 

 

What to wash

•      wash hands for 20 seconds with warm soapy water
•      dry hands for 20 seconds before starting to cook
•      repeat frequently especially after handling raw meats, or vegetables with visible soil.

What to chill

•       As soon as possible after purchase meat, dairy foods, vegetables, salad ingredients, etc should be refrigerated at or below 5 º C. Sounds easy but often food is left in hot cars or put in refrigerators that are not cold enough.
•      A fridge thermometer should be used to make sure the temperature is at or below 5ºC. The temperature should be adjusted in line with changing seasons and the amount stored.
•      Refrigerate leftovers promptly.
•      Cooked food should be stored in covered containers and either put in the fridge to cool, or frozen immediately.
•      Frozen foods should be defrosted in the fridge NOT on the kitchen bench.

What to cook

•       Cook chicken, minced or boned meats, hamburger, stuffed meats and sausages right through until all juices are clear.
•      Serve hot food steaming hot > 60ºC.
•      Defrost frozen poultry and rolled and stuffed meats thoroughly before cooking.
•      Always follow cooking instructions on packaged foods.

What to separate

•       Cross contamination is a major way for food borne diseases to spread. Keep raw and cooked foods separate when storing and preparing.
•      Food should be stored in covered containers in the fridge.
•      Put raw meats and poultry in the bottom of the fridge so the juices don’t contaminate food on lower shelves.
•      Don’t put cooked meat back on the plate the raw meat was on.