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Food preparation and safety

Food poisoning is common. Problems range from a tummy upset and vomiting to more serious food poisoning and diseases like hepatitis A. Here's how to minimise the risks.

Care for your food

Some bacteria and viruses and their toxins can give you food poisoning, so you need to take care with all your food.

Foods that smell off, are slimy or have gone mouldy, shouldn’t be eaten.

Some foods that cause food poisoning appear normal so it’s important to prevent foods getting contaminated.

Shopping

• Shop for chilled or frozen foods last. Take an insulated container for meat, dairy products and chilled or frozen food.
• Put cold foods into the fridge immediately. Put raw meat on the lowest level so the juices don’t drip onto other foods.

Preparing food

• Defrost chicken or meat overnight in the fridge. If you’re in a hurry, thaw meat in a microwave.
• Wash your hands with soap and water before preparing food. Wash after changing a nappy or blowing a child's or your own nose.
• Wash hands before eating.
• Wash benches, dishcloths, chopping boards and kitchen utensils with soap and water.
• Separate raw and cooked food and use different cutting boards and knives for both.

Cooking

• Cook foods thoroughly. Heat kills most bacteria.
• Cook pork, chicken, turkey and sausages thoroughly. They are high-risk foods.
• Reheat foods to at least 60°C, until they're steaming hot.
• When barbecuing, carry cooked meat to the table on a clean plate and wash anything well that’s been in contact with raw meat.

Storing food

• Keep hot foods hot. Store cold foods in the fridge.
• Don’t leave leftover food at room temperature. Cool the food quickly and put it into the fridge.
• Store cooked rice in the fridge. Improperly stored cooked rice can be a cause of food poisoning.
• Store foods that contain eggs or milk in the fridge.
• Thawed meat can be re-frozen once as long as it was defrosted in the fridge and is cooked properly when thawed again.

School lunches

• Lunches containing meat, egg, fish, chicken or soft cheese must be kept cool. A plastic bottle of frozen water in the lunchbox helps.

Eating out

• For picnics, carry food in an insulated container with an ice pack.
• Check that take-away stores are clean.
• Check that foods are kept hot or cold, not at room temperature.

Higher-risk foods

Some types of food need extra care during storage, preparation and handling, including:

• Pre-packed salads and fruit salads.
• Pre-cooked chicken (e.g. cooked chicken from shops).
• Rare or undercooked hamburgers or sausages (minced meat hamburgers have a high surface area for bacteria to live on. Cook them thoroughly).
• Cold delicatessen meats.