Food Safety at Home

Maintaining proper food hygiene is essential for your health and that of your family.  Here's a number of things you can do to help you ensure safety. 

• Wash your hands: Use soap and warm water to wash your hands thoroughly before handling and preparing food 

• Keep cold foods cold: 5^oC 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 60^oC 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. 

Visit the Department of Health for more information on food safety.