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Food poisoning is frequently caused by bacteria from foods that have been incorrectly stored, prepared, handled or cooked. Food contaminated with food poisoning bacteria may look, smell and taste normal. If food is not stored properly, the bacteria in it can multiply to dangerous levels. Watch this video about storing food safely. Beware of the temperature danger zoneFood poisoning bacteria grow and multiply fastest in the temperature danger zone between 5 °C and 60 °C. It is important to keep high-risk food out of this temperature zone. Take special care with high-risk foodsFood poisoning bacteria can grow and multiply on some types of food more easily than others. High-risk foods include:
Food that comes in packages, cans and jars can become high-risk foods once opened, and should be handled and stored correctly. Storing food in the fridgeYour fridge temperature should be at 5 °C or below. The freezer temperature should be below -15 °C. Use a thermometer to check the temperature in your fridge. Freezing food safelyWhen shopping, buy chilled and frozen foods at the end of your trip and take them home to store as quickly as possible. On hot days or for trips longer than 30 minutes, try to take an insulated cooler bag or ice pack to keep frozen foods cold. Keep hot and cold foods separate while you take them home. When you arrive home, put chilled and frozen foods into the fridge or freezer immediately. Make sure foods stored in the freezer are frozen hard. Storing cooked food safelyWhen you have cooked food and want to cool it:
Avoid refreezing thawed foodFood poisoning bacteria can grow in frozen food while it is thawing, so avoid thawing frozen food in the temperature danger zone. Keep defrosted food in the fridge until it is ready to be cooked. If using a microwave oven to defrost food, cook it immediately after defrosting. As a general rule, avoid refreezing thawed food. Food that is frozen a second time is likely to have higher levels of food poisoning bacteria. The risk depends on the condition of the food when frozen, and how the food is handled between thawing and refreezing. Raw food should never be refrozen once thawed. Store raw food separately from cooked foodRaw food and cooked food should be stored separately in the fridge. Bacteria from raw food can contaminate cold cooked food, and the bacteria can multiply to dangerous levels if the food is not cooked thoroughly again. Always store raw food in sealed or covered containers at the bottom of the fridge. Keep raw foods below cooked foods, to avoid liquid such as meat juices dripping down and contaminating the cooked food. Choose strong, non-toxic food storage containersMake sure your food storage containers are clean and in good condition, and only use them for storing food. Cover them with tight-fitting lids, foil or plastic film to minimise potential contamination. Transfer the contents of opened cans into suitable containers. If in doubt, throw it out!Throw out high-risk food left in the temperature danger zone for more than 4 hours - don't put it in the fridge and don't keep it for later. Check the use-by dates on food products and discard out-of-date food. If you are uncertain of the use-by date, throw it out. Where to get help
Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such therapy, service, product or treatment and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional. The information and materials contained on this website are not intended to constitute a comprehensive guide concerning all aspects of the therapy, product or treatment described on the website. All users are urged to always seek advice from a registered health care professional for diagnosis and answers to their medical questions and to ascertain whether the particular therapy, service, product or treatment described on the website is suitable in their circumstances. The State of Victoria and the Department of Health shall not bear any liability for reliance by any user on the materials contained on this website. To safely prepare food, you should follow these tips:
Safe food storage and displayTo safely store and display food, you should follow these tips:
Cross-contaminationRaw food must be kept separate from cooked and ready-to-eat food. Raw food may contain bacteria, which causes food poisoning. Cross-contamination happens when cooked or ready-to-eat food contacts raw food. Raw food should always be stored below ready-to-eat or cooked food in refrigerators and display cabinets. This way, juices from the raw food cannot drip onto cooked food. Cross-contamination can also happen if you use dirty knives, chopping boards or other equipment. If possible, don’t use the same equipment when preparing raw food, and cooked and ready-to-eat food. Thoroughly clean and sanitise equipment after each use. Bacteria can be transferred to food from your hands. Thoroughly wash and dry your hands before handling food, and between handling raw food and cooked or ready-to-eat food. Also use clean, sanitised utensils (tongs, spoons, spatulas) to handle cooked or ready-to-eat food. GlovesDisposable gloves can help prevent cross-contamination. The same precautions should be taken when handling raw food, and cooked or ready-to-eat foods. Wash and dry your hands thoroughly before putting on gloves, and always use fresh gloves. Change your gloves:
Temperature danger zoneThe temperature danger zone is between 5 °C and 60 °C. Bacteria grow quickly in high-risk foods that are kept in this temperature range. Cold food storageYou need to keep cold foods at 5 °C or colder, and keep frozen foods frozen solid during storage at –15 °C or colder. Cool rooms, refrigerators and freezers must have proper thermometers, and temperatures should be checked regularly. Hot food preparation and displayHot food must be kept at 60 °C or hotter. Bains-marie and other hot food holders are designed to keep food at this temperature. Do not use bains-marie and similar equipment to heat food. If this equipment is used for heating food, the food will spend too long in the temperature danger zone. Before placing food in the bain-marie, make sure the food is thoroughly cooked. Ensure that the centre of the cooked food has reached 75 °C. Most bacteria are killed when food is cooked properly. Some tips for safely using bains-marie include:
Cooling foodFood that has been cooked should not be left out to cool for more than 1 hour. As soon as food has cooled, place it in the refrigerator or freezer. Note that large portions of food cool faster if divided into smaller portions. Thawing frozen foodBe sure to keep frozen food frozen solid while it is in the freezer. Thaw food thoroughly before cooking. Bacteria can grow in frozen food while it is thawing, so keep frozen food out of the temperature danger zone. To do this, thaw frozen food on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator (so the juices do not drip onto other foods) and keep it in the fridge until it is ready to be cooked. If using a microwave oven to thaw food, cook it immediately after defrosting. If you have to cook food that is still frozen, make sure that the food is cooked right through, and that its core temperature reaches 75 °C. Do not refreeze food that has been frozen and thawed already. Freezing does not kill bacteria, and live bacteria are still in food when it is thawed again. Food serving and labellingStore food in clean, food-grade storage containers that are strong enough for the food they contain. If containers are reusable, wash and sanitise them before using them. Do not reuse containers that are only meant to be used once. Food labels or tags can carry bacteria. For cooked and ready-to-eat food, use tags or labels on the trays or containers, and not on the food itself. Be sure not to pierce cooked or ready-to-eat food with tags or labels. When serving food, make sure that all cutlery and crockery is clean and undamaged. |