There are a number of steps you can take to make sure you are looking out for food hygiene at home:
- Wash your hands: Use soap and warm water to wash your hands thoroughly before handling and preparing food
- Keep cold foods cold: - 5oC or less, check temperature with a fridge thermometer
- Keep hot foods hot: Don't let hot food sit out at room temperature for long periods of time; time your cooking so your hot food does not require re-heating; and ensure hot foods must are maintained at 60oC to prevent bacterial growth
- Separate raw and cooked food: Use separate utensils and chopping boards when preparing raw and cooked foods; make sure that all foods are covered when stored, and always store raw food at the bottom of the fridge to prevent raw juices dripping on to cooked food
- Cool and store hot foods for later use correctly: If you want to keep cooked foods for later use, a simple rule is to cool the food to room temperature within two hours and to fridge temperature within four hours
- Keep your kitchen and utensils clean: Deters pests by removing food sources and change baits regularly as old baits may become a food source
- Defrost safely: When defrosting food, put it in the fridge overnight or use your microwave defrost setting
- Don't cook for others if you are unwell: If you are experiencing food poisoning symptoms you could easily pass your germs on to others.
For more information on food hygiene at home visit the
WA Health Department website.