12
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.
ª
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.
ª
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!
ª
Do not push food together too much, try to allow
air circulate around each item.
ª
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).
ª
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.
ª
Do not store food uncovered.
ª
The best way to defrost food is to put it in the
refrigerator to thaw slowly.
ª
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).
ª
Never allow spillages to dry and harden.
ª
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.
ª
It is important that food is used before its “best
before” date.
ª
Store eggs in the egg rack provided in the
refrigerator door. Discard any broken or chipped
eggs.
ª
Regularly check the refrigerator door seal to
ensure that it is clean and free from bits and pieces.
ª
Always wash your hands with soapy water and dry
them with a clean towel before handling food.
ª
Keep work surfaces clean and avoid cross
contamination by not using the same work surface
or knife, without washing them thoroughly in
between.
ª
Use kitchen roll wherever possible for cleaning up
food. If you use a dishcloth, be sure to boil it
frequently.
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