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FACT SHEET
Food Safety – Preventing food poisoning in the home
What is food poisoning?
Food poisoning is an illness resulting from consuming contaminated food or water.
Food can be contaminated by bacteria, viruses or parasites or by toxic substances
produced by certain bacteria. Food poisoning is one of the most common illnesses
in Australia, with an estimated 1.5 million Australians suffering from food-borne
illness each year.
Appropriate personal hygiene and proper practices in the preparation and storage
of food can help prevent food poisoning in the community and in the home.
What causes food poisoning?
Many different organisms can cause food poisoning. Most are bacteria.
Food poisoning can result from:
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Eating contaminated food.
Drinking contaminated water.
Being in contact with a person who is infected with a food-borne illness.
Being in contact with an animal that is infected with a food-borne illness.
Contaminated food may not look, smell or taste any different from food that is safe.
Bacteria will grow on most foods. Common sources of food poisoning include:
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Chicken.
Seafood.
Some raw eggs.
Red meats.
Unpasteurised (raw) dairy products.
Stored cooked rice.
These foods are called high-risk foods because they provide a good environment
for the growth of bacteria. Foods that are not high-risk include dried foods in their
original packaging, and jars, cans or other containers that have been processed by
heat. However, once these foods are opened they may become high-risk foods.
High-risk foods include:
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Unpasteurised dairy products, such as unpasteurised milk, yoghurt and
cheese.
Raw or undercooked meat including salami, mettwurst, pastrami and
proscuttio.
Raw or undercooked chicken and seafood.
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Cooked, then stored, rice, gravies, sauces; some raw eggs.
Untreated water. (Mains water is treated).
The risk of food poisoning is almost eliminated entirely if food is properly handled,
stored and cooked and then eaten immediately.
A great proportion of food poisoning is due to:
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A food-handler preparing food without washing hands properly.
An ill food-handler preparing food for others to eat.
Not washing hands before eating food.
Eating food that is not cooked thoroughly.
Allowing food to be at a temperature that allows bacteria to grow.
Temperature Control
Food poisoning bacteria grow most rapidly in the “Danger Zone” between 5°C and
60°C, consequently high-risk food should be kept cold enough (5°C or less, ie,
refrigerated or frozen) or hot enough (60°C or more, ie, steaming hot) to
prevent bacteria from growing.
Handling and preparing food
Many raw animal products, such as raw meat, are contaminated. If hands, utensils
or the preparation area (eg, a chopping board) are not thoroughly cleaned after
being in contact with these products, other foods can be contaminated and make
people ill.
It is best to use a different chopping board, plates and utensils when handling
foods that are ready-to-eat, like cooked food or a salad, and those which are yet to
be cooked, like meat. If you have only one chopping board, wash it well with hot
soapy water, and rinse it before re-use.
Safe handling and food preparation habits
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Never place cooked foods on dishes that have contained raw products such as
meat, poultry and fish, unless the plates have been thoroughly washed first.
Never use a sauce on cooked food if is has previously been used to marinate
raw meat or seafood, unless the marinade has been cooked first. For example,
do not spoon the uncooked juices or marinade over the cooked food and serve.
The uncooked marinade will probably contain harmful bacteria.
Wash hands well in hot soapy water for around 30 seconds before preparing
food, before eating and after touching raw meats.
Ask other people to prepare food if you are not feeling well.
All fruit and vegetables should be thoroughly washed, especially if they are to
be eaten raw.
The outside of melons and pumpkins should be washed before storage or
cutting to remove any dirt. Cutting a dirty melon can contaminate the whole
melon.
Lettuce leaves should be rinsed individually under cold tap water.
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Root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots, should be scrubbed or peeled,
especially if they are to be eaten raw.
Delicate fruit such as strawberries should be washed in a colander. Their leafy
stems should be removed, as they provide good hiding places for bacteria.
Sprouts and herbs should be rinsed before serving.
Work quickly with perishable food so that it is in the ‘danger zone’ (5°C to 60°C)
for as short a time as possible. Never keep perishable food outside of a fridge
for any longer then 2 hours (1 hour in temperatures over 30°C). This includes
preparation and serving time.
Wash the lids of canned foods before opening them to keep dirt from getting
into the contents. Clean the blade of the can opener after each use.
Do not touch ready-to-eat or cooked food with your hands.
When making dishes where hot and cold ingredients are mixed, such as potato
or pasta salads, always cool the hot component before adding the cold
ingredients. Mixing hot and cold ingredients will create a warm mixture for
bacteria to grow.
Cross contamination in the kitchen.
Some foods such as raw meat and raw unwashed vegetables are contaminated. If
hands, utensils or the preparation area (eg, a chopping board) are not thoroughly
cleaned after being in contact with these products, other foods can become
contaminated and make people ill.
Personal hygiene practices
Always wash your hands before preparing or eating food.
Remember to wash your hands after:
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Using the toilet for any reason. (A variety of surfaces in the toilet may have
traces of faeces on them).
Changing nappies.
Handling raw food.
Using a handkerchief or tissue.
Coughing or sneezing.
Smoking.
Touching ears, nose, mouth, hair or other parts of the body.
Touching animals.
Handling garbage.
Gardening.
Handling objects soiled with blood or other body substances.
Some ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ of food handling and cleaning
Do not:
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Sneeze or cough over food.
Prepare food if suffering from throat, skin or bowel infections.
Smoke in areas where food is prepared or served.
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Taste, sample or eat while preparing or handling food. (If you need to taste the
food, use a clean spoon each time and don’t put it back in the food after
tasting).
Do:
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Protect cuts and sores with a clean dressing and waterproof cover. (Cuts and
sores on the hands should be covered with disposable gloves or brightly
coloured bandages so that they can be easily seen if they fall off).
Prevent hair from falling into food. Tie it away from the face.
Make sure that children wash their hands before eating or assisting with food
preparation.
Remove jewellery, eg, rings and bracelets, before washing hands and handling
food.
Use disinfectants immediately, once disinfectants have been diluted, they start
to loose their strength.
Wear gloves when using chemical disinfectants as disinfectants can cause skin
problems.
Empty buckets after use, wash with detergent and warm water and store dry.
Clean mops after use in detergent and warm water and store dry.
Clean inside your cupboards and fridge regularly. Crumbs in cupboards can
attract pests and dirty fridges can harbour bacteria.
Storing food
Remember that high-risk food should be kept cold enough (5°C or less, ie,
refrigerated or frozen) or hot enough (60°C or more, ie, steaming hot) to prevent
bacteria from growing.
So remember to:
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Immediately freeze products that you don’t intend to use before the use-by
date. Freezing greatly extends the use-by date.
Remove the product from the store wrap and put into freezer bags before
freezing to maintain quality.
Remove as much air as you can from the bag, tie, label and date the bag.
Check the temperature of your refrigerator using a fridge thermometer. It
should be 5°C or less, and your freezer should be -15°C or less.
If a container is to be frozen it should be sealed with plastic or a lid to prevent
the formation of frost.
Cooling food quickly
Place food into the refrigerator or freezer as soon as possible after cooking. If
possible, store the food in the container in which it was cooked. If food needs to be
transferred to another container for storage, transfer it while it is hot if possible.
This partially ‘sterilises’ the container and reduces the growth of bacteria. Most
fridges can cope with small amounts of hot food being placed directly in the
refrigerator or freezer. Large amounts of food may need to be cooled first. This
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should be done as quickly as possible. Food can be cooled more quickly if it is put
into a shallow container.
If food is cooked in a saucepan put the lid on and place it in a sink containing
some cold water. Don’t let the water enter the saucepan. A few changes of water
may be required. Cooling can be reduced from hours to a few minutes in this way.
Raw meats can drip onto other foods and contaminate those foods so wrap meats
from the shop in extra plastic bags to prevent juices from contaminating other
foods.
Store raw meats near the bottom of the fridge to ensure that juices do not drip onto
other foods. Alternatively, put meat into a covered tray or container within the
fridge. Use meat within two or three days if it does not have a use-by-date.
Keep raw foods on separate plates from ready-to-eat foods such as cooked foods
and salads.
Bacteria still grow in foods that have been kept refrigerated – they just take longer
to grow so don’t eat food that has been in the refrigerator too long and don’t freeze
food that has been in the refrigerator for more than a day. Extra bacteria will have
grown and they will not die in the freezer.
More storage advice
Don’t eat foods that have been incorrectly stored after initial cooking.
Eggs should be refrigerated.
Foods must be stored in areas specifically designed for that purpose. Food should
not be stored on the ground as this encourages insects and mice and makes
cleaning difficult. Make sure that food does not remain in storage too long by using
older stock first.
Thawing frozen foods
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Thaw meat and other foods in the bottom of the fridge whenever possible.
Food can be thawed in a microwave oven, at room temperature (eg, on a
bench) or in water, provided the food is cooked immediately after it has thawed.
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Throw away all liquids resulting from defrosting meat and poultry.
Thawed meats should not be frozen again unless they are cooked. Once
cooked, meats can be frozen immediately after cooking.
Take great care if you cook meats when they are only partially thawed. Make
sure that they are cooked right through.
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Cooking and reheating
The outside of meat is usually the part that is contaminated with bacteria.
Therefore, eating a steak where the outside is cooked but the inside is not is still
relatively safe as far as food poisoning is concerned.
The problem comes when contamination from the outside moves to the inside,
such as when meat is minced or sliced, or a skewer is pushed through the meat.
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Then the meat must be thoroughly cooked right through. Therefore, mince,
sausages, hamburger patties, rolled roasts, kebabs, yiros, shasliks and other such
foods should be cooked right through.
Thorough cooking means that there is no pink meat and the juices run clear when
the meat is skewered, cut or pressed. It is also wise to cook pork and chicken right
through, regardless.
If you have access to a meat thermometer, you can use it and check the internal
temperatures. In the case of hamburgers and poultry, make sure they are cooked
throughout. Aim for around 75°C in the centre of the meat item.
Microwaves are a quick and convenient way to cook foods, however, they tend to
heat foods rather unevenly, leaving cold spots. So when microwaving foods,
always rotate and stir the food during cooking to get more even cooking. Also, wait
until the required standing time is over before you check that cooking is complete,
because foods continue to cook even when the microwave is turned off.
When reheating foods, heat to steaming hot (above 75°C). This will kill any
bacteria, which may have grown on the food in the fridge. If you still have leftover
food, throw it away. Do not reheat a product more than once, and use all leftovers
within a day of preparation.
Kitchen hygiene is important in assisting the prevention of food poisoning
All surfaces in the kitchen, such as crockery, cutlery, the tops of benches,
stoves and sinks, walls and the inside surfaces of cupboards need to be kept
clean. Leaving leftovers and spills to become dry will make them much harder
to remove.
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To clean a surface in the kitchen effectively, you need to remove all
visible soiling using detergent and warm water. This is usually all that is
necessary. Surface disinfectants are normally not necessary and usually
only work well on a surface that has already been cleaned.
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If you do use a disinfectant, it is important to follow the manufacturer’s
instructions on how to use it. This includes how much water to add to it,
what water temperature to use, and how long the object needs to be in
contact with the disinfectant.
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Diluted disinfectants deteriorate on standing.
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All diluted disinfectant should be used immediately after preparation.
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Wear gloves when using chemical disinfectants, as disinfectants are a
common cause of dermatitis.
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Empty buckets after use, wash with detergent and warm water and store
dry.
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Mops should be cleaned in detergent and warm water and stored dry.
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Cleaning sponges should be changed frequently or disinfected regularly.
Floor spills should mopped up with a single-use paper towel, which is
discarded after use.
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Dishes should be washed in warm to hot soapy water and rinsed in hot
water. It is best to leave dishes to air dry. If you do this, don't place a tea
towel over them, as this will only spread bacteria from the tea towel onto
the clean dishes. Change your tea towel when it becomes dirty or wet.
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Separate chopping boards should be used for raw meats and ready-toeat foods. If this cannot be done, the chopping board should be washed
in hot soapy water and rinsed before being re-used. The same applies to
utensils, knives, benches and plates. If required, chopping boards can
be sterilised by washing in hot soapy water and then rinsing with diluted
bleach or washed in a dishwasher using the highest heat setting.
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Separate sponges should be used for cleaning dishes and cleaning
floors. Sponges should be changed frequently or disinfected regularly.
Floor spills should not be mopped-up with the dish sponge. Mop floor
spills with a single-use paper towel that can be thrown away.
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Clean inside your fridge and cupboards regularly. Crumbs in cupboards
can attract pests and dirty fridges can carry bacteria.
Hygiene in the garden
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Sandpits can become contaminated with animal faeces and urine,
usually from cats. Therefore, sandpits need to be properly constructed
with adequate drainage. The sand should be raked often and when not
in use the area should be covered (eg, with a tarpaulin or shadecloth).
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Many gardening activities bring the gardener into contact with organisms
that can cause illness. Gardeners should wash their hands before
eating, drinking or smoking. If vegetables are brought into the kitchen
from the home garden, they should first be thoroughly washed outside.
Pests
Pests such as flies, cockroaches and mice carry disease.
Keep food safe by:
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Keeping flies out of the kitchen, storage and dining areas.
Using fly spray thoughtfully. Cover all food before you spray and until you can
no longer smell the spray.
Keeping food scraps stored in garbage bins with close fitting lids. This prevents
pests eating the scraps and breeding.
Storing chemicals used to control pests in areas away from those used to
store, prepare or eat food.
Pets
Do not allow animals into kitchens. In particular, do not feed them in the kitchen.
Do not wash pet feed bowls in the kitchen sink.
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Shopping
A car provides an excellent temperature for bacteria to multiply. Therefore, food
should only be in the car for as short a time as possible. If food will be in a car for
longer than about half an hour, put cold foods into an esky and avoid buying hot
foods. Whether you shop by car, bus or walk, go straight home. When you get
home, put cold things into the refrigerator or freezer straight away and eat hot food
straight away.
Remember that high-risk food should be kept cold enough (5°C or less, ie,
refrigerated or frozen) or hot enough (60°C or more, ie, steaming hot) to prevent
bacteria from growing so:
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Get refrigerated and frozen foods at the end of the shopping trip and keep them
cold.
Get hot foods at the end of the shopping trip and keep them hot.
Keep hot foods separate from cold foods.
Raw meats can drip onto other foods and contaminate those foods. Therefore,
wrap meats in extra plastic bags to prevent juices from contaminating other
foods.
If using a salad bar, use the server provided for each salad and hold the server
by the handle. Do not touch the food with your hands, or taste it. Eat the salad
within 24 hours. If you see anyone touching food report it to a staff member.
Check date markings on food packages eg, use-by or best before dates
Never buy or use the following:
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Dented cans.
Leaking cartons cans bottles or containers.
Food in torn or ripped packaging.
Food packages or cans that are swollen.
Cracked eggs.
Containers with broken or imperfect seals.
Foods that should be chilled or frozen, eg, dairy products, that have been left
out of refrigerators. If something is marked ‘keep refrigerated’ or ‘keep chilled’,
and it isn’t in a refrigerator or freezer, don’t buy it.
Foods that have mould, discolouration or evidence of animals or insects eating
the food or the packaging.
Foods that are ready to eat that have been in contact with raw meat, chicken or
seafood or their juices. Take note of how cooked meats and seafood are
presented as you shop.
Products in loose vacuum packs
Products in packaging that has been tampered with
Products that are above the line marked ‘load limit’ in open freezers or fridges.
Any food above this line may not have been kept cold enough.
Eating outdoors (picnics, barbecues, camping, school lunches)
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Remember that food should be kept cold enough (5°C or less, ie, refrigerated or
frozen) or hot enough (60°C or more, ie, steaming hot) to prevent bacteria from
growing so:
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Keep all food cold, unless it has just been cooked and will be eaten hot straight
away. Don’t pack food if it has just been cooked and will be eaten cool. Let it
get cold in the fridge first.
Don’t eat leftovers, unless they can be kept cold all of the time they are out of
the fridge.
Do the maximum amount of food preparation at home, particularly if hand
washing facilities are inadequate at the place where the food will be eaten.
When camping, it is best to pack dried, canned and UHT foods rather than
fresh foods.
When packing children’s lunches, either pack a frozen ice block drink in the
lunch box to keep food cold (summer and winter), or choose foods that will not
‘go off’. That is, do not pack foods that would normally be kept in the fridge,
such as milk, yoghurt, cheese, meats, eggs, etc, even in sandwiches. Fillings
for sandwiches that are fairly safe under warmer conditions are often those
fillings that can sit on a shelf without needing refrigeration, such as honey,
Vegemite, Nutella and peanut paste.
Eating out (restaurants and take-always)
Remember that high-risk food should be kept cold enough (5°C or less, ie
refrigerated or frozen) or hot enough (60°C or more, ie steaming hot) to prevent
bacteria from growing.
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Sandwiches and rolls containing foods such as cheese, eggs and meat, should
be kept refrigerated. Don’t buy them otherwise.
Cold foods should be cold to the touch and should be displayed on ice or in a
fridge.
Hot foods should be steaming hot. Do not eat foods that have come from a
heated display if they are only warm. Send them back..
Food should be properly cooked (see Cooking and reheating). This means that
mince, sausages, hamburger patties, rolled roasts, kebabs, yiros, shasliks and
other such foods should be cooked right through. If they are not, send them
back.
Eat hot foods while they are still hot. Be careful about eating leftovers, including
foods taken home in a ‘doggy bag’. They should be put in the refrigerator as
soon as possible and eaten within a day (See Cooking and reheating).
For salad bars (see Shopping).
If you are not happy with the quality of the food at a restaurant or take-away,
contact Council’s EHO and discuss your concerns.
Extra reference materials
The following leaflets on food safety are available by telephoning the Australian
Meat and Livestock Corporation, toll free within Australia 1800 647 284. Council
has a limited number of these leaflets available from its Customer Service Centres.
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Food Safety in the Home
Safety When Eating Out
Food Safety When Shopping
Food Safety in the Outdoors
Food Safety at School and Work
Microwave Food Safety.
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