Food safety and hygiene: personal and kitchen hygiene, cross-contamination, the temperature danger zone, the bacteria that cause food poisoning, safe cooking and chilling temperatures, and date labels.

What this dot point is asking

You need to know how to keep food safe: personal and kitchen hygiene, what cross-contamination is and how to prevent it, the temperature danger zone, the bacteria that cause food poisoning, safe cooking and chilling temperatures, and what date labels mean.

Personal and kitchen hygiene

Good hygiene stops bacteria reaching food:

• wash hands thoroughly before cooking, after handling raw meat, after using the toilet and after touching the bin,
• wear a clean apron, tie hair back, and cover cuts with a coloured plaster,
• do not cook for others when ill with sickness or diarrhoea,
• keep surfaces, equipment and cloths clean, and wash up in hot soapy water.

Cross-contamination

Prevent it by:

• storing raw meat on the bottom shelf of the fridge so it cannot drip onto other food,
• using separate chopping boards and knives for raw and ready-to-eat foods,
• washing hands and cleaning surfaces after handling raw food,
• not washing raw chicken (this splashes bacteria around).

The temperature danger zone

Food poisoning bacteria

Harmful bacteria that cause food poisoning include:

• salmonella (raw poultry, eggs),
• campylobacter (raw poultry, the most common cause),
• E. coli (undercooked meat, unwashed vegetables),
• listeria (some chilled foods, soft cheese).

Symptoms include sickness, diarrhoea and stomach pain, and can be serious for the very young, the elderly, pregnant women and the ill.

Safe temperatures and date labels

• Fridge: below 5 degrees Celsius.
• Freezer: minus 18 degrees Celsius.
• Cooking and reheating: core temperature at least 75 degrees Celsius; reheat once only, until piping hot.
• Hot holding: above 63 degrees Celsius.
• Use-by: a safety date (do not eat after it). Best-before: about quality (often still safe after it).

Buying, defrosting and storing safely

Safe handling starts before cooking. When shopping, check date labels and buy chilled and frozen foods last, getting them home and into the fridge or freezer quickly. Defrost frozen raw meat fully in the fridge (not at room temperature) so the outside does not warm into the danger zone while the inside is still frozen, and never refreeze raw food once thawed. Store food covered and follow the first-in, first-out rule, using older items before newer ones. Keep the fridge clean and do not overload it, so cold air can circulate.

High-risk foods

Some foods support bacterial growth especially well and are called high-risk foods: cooked meat and poultry, fish and shellfish, eggs and egg products, dairy, cooked rice, and gravies and sauces. They are usually moist, high in protein and ready to eat, so they must be kept out of the danger zone and used within their date. Knowing which foods are high-risk helps you decide how carefully they must be stored and handled.