- Maintain prepared foods at correct temperatures. (hot food above 60°C, cold food 5°C and below)
- Don’t leave cooked foods, especially meat, poultry and seafood at room temperature for any longer than is absolutely necessary.
- Don’t thaw food at room temperature. Use the microwave or fridge to thaw frozen foods.
- Cooked foods should be cooled quickly. Cook all meat and poultry adequately and avoid cross-contamination between raw flesh foods (meat, poultry, seafood) and cooked foods. Do not use the same cutting board or utensils for raw and cooked meat or poultry.
- Keep food covered and free from dust/dirt, insects etc. Discard food that has become contaminated or shows signs of spoilage.
- Left over food should only be re-heated once. Further storage and re-heating can cause multiplication of food-borne organisms. If cooked food must be re-heated, do so quickly to a temperature of at least 75°C.
- Do not use the contents of a swollen can. If canned or bottle food seems "off", notify the health authorities.
- Do not store poisonous chemicals (eg. pesticides) in food containers (eg. returnable drink bottles).
- Wash utensils thoroughly in very hot water and detergent and clean kitchen surfaces frequently.
- Develop effective cleaning and sanitising procedures in your home. This will help to ensure safe food handling practices.
- Make sure you wash your hands with soap after going to the toilet, handling raw foods, touching pets etc.
For more information or advice, please contact our cooking consultant.
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