Kiwis are being reminded of the importance of good food safety and hygiene practices as we head into the hotter summer months.
Foodsafe Week (November 9-15 2009) is held at the start of every summer to promote safe food practices throughout New Zealand.
This year the New Zealand Food Safety Authority and several partner organisations are offering New Zealanders the chance to win a great summer barbecue prize pack.
One hundred prizes are on offer, with a total prize pool valued at $16,000 and a main prize of a new Masport barbecue. You can enter the draw online at http://www.foodsafe.org.nz during the month of November.
Illnesses from food increase during summer, but this can easily be prevented by following a couple of easy steps:
Clean
- Clean your hands with soap and hot water and dry with a clean towel or paper towel before handling food
- Wash knives and utensils, and scrub chopping boards between preparation of raw and cooked foods
- Keep your fridge clean
Cook
- Defrost frozen foods thoroughly before cooking
- Never leave hot food to cool for more than two hours before putting it in the fridge. Keep foods covered
- Reheat leftovers until steaming hot throughout and do not reheat more than once
- Cook minced meat and sausages thoroughly (meat should not be pink) and cook poultry until juices run clear
- Pre-cook minced meat, sausages and poultry before barbecuing
- Do not put cooked meat back on the same plate that held raw meat
Cover
- Cover all foods before storing
- Keep raw meat and poultry covered and away from ready to eat food, fruit and vegetables
- Cover food when outdoors to prevent insects and bugs getting into it
- Keep raw meat and poultry in the bottom of the fridge to ensure juices don't drip onto other foods
Chill
- Ensure your fridge is between 2 and 4 degrees centigrade
- Keep all perishable foods in the fridge until you are ready to use them
- When picnicking, keep frozen food cool by using a frozen chilly pad
- Marinate food in the fridge, not on the bench
- Chilly bins are a good way of keeping chilled and frozen products cold when taking them home from the supermarket
- Defrost frozen foods in the fridge
- Bacteria that cause food borne illness thrive at room temperature - keep food very cold or very hot