Serving Safe Food

June 1998

A Householders Market-to-Mealtime Checklist to Help Keep Food Safe.

This booklet is a guide to help those preparing and handling food at home, to use safe food handling practices to prevent food poisoning (the transmission of disease through food).

These simple and common sense suggestions will help you prepare and cook food with care and confidence, helping to ensure that your food will remain wholesome and of good quality through all stages of preparation until it is finally eaten.

After all, you are the best line of defence against foodborne illness.

You are the final safety checkpoint.

There's Danger In Numbers

Bacteria are everywhere -- in air, soil, water, plants, animals and the human body. You can't see, taste or smell most bacteria.

Some are helpful, like those that change milk into cheese or yoghurt.
Some are a problem - causing food spoilage, while others are harmful and can cause illness.

The diseases that are spread by bacteria that enter the body in food, can multiply at an amazing rate when they are provided with warmth and moisture, (especially at room temperature).

Our food can become an ideal home for them.

To prevent them from becoming harmful and causing illness, you must stop them from multiplying.

Control is the key to food safety.

Information on some of the common food poisoning illnesses is found at the back of this booklet.

High Risk Foods

High Risk Foods are those perishable foods which can support the growth of harmful bacteria and are intended to be eaten without further treatment such as cooking, which would destroy such organisms.
They include -

All cooked meat and poultry.
Cooked meat products including gravy, stock, and roll/sandwich fillings.
Milk, cream, artificial cream, custards and dairy products.
Cooked eggs and products made with eggs, eg mayonnaise.
Shellfish and other seafood.
Cooked rice.

Don't leave High Risk Foods sitting at room temperature.

Unfortunately contaminated food usually looks, tastes, and smells completely normal, and cannot be detected without laboratory examination.

Food Spoilage

Food decays or goes off, due to the micro-organisms that always exist in food;- they are not necessarily the bacteria that cause food poisoning.

The signs that food is spoiling are:

Odour - "off odours" are smells (sometimes like rotten eggs) that are produced when bacteria break down food.
Taints due to flavour change may also occur.

Sliminess - As the bacterial population grows, the food can become slimy.
Moulds may also form slimy whiskers.

Discolouration - Some moulds have coloured spores that give the food a distinctive colour, for example, black pin mould on bread, or blue and green mould on citrus fruit and cheese.

Souring - Foods go sour when certain bacteria produce acids. A common example is when milk sours from the production of lactic acid.

Gas - Bacteria and yeasts often produce gas that can affect food.
You may have noticed meat becoming spongy, or packages and cans swelling or having a popping or fizzing sound on opening.

Food Safety Check List

Buying

When choosing high risk foods and raw meat, fish and poultry, get them from a refrigerated cabinet and ensure they are cold to the touch.
Check the "Use by" or "Best before" dates on all high risk and other perishable foods and don't buy damaged packs or cans.
Shop for high risk foods and raw meats last and keep the raw meats separate from foods that are ready to eat.
Check frozen foods to make sure they are rock solid.
Wrap cold foods together and when you get home put them straight into your fridge or freezer.
Food, especially high risk food should not be left sitting in the car for any length of time, as even short stops during hot weather may let your food warm up to unsafe temperatures.

Preparing

Ensure fruit and vegetables are washed thoroughly, and check all foods for signs of spoilage before preparing them for eating.
Frozen food should be thawed either in the fridge or microwave rather than at room temperature. Use the food immediately after thawing and don't refreeze foods.
Keep raw and high risk foods separate during preparation.
Cutting boards and bench surfaces must be thoroughly cleaned, especially after preparing raw meats, and before preparing any high risk food. It is better to use a separate board for raw foods.
Marinade food in a covered plastic container in the fridge.

Cooking

All meat, especially poultry must be cooked thoroughly (80°C minimum internal temperature), and the juices should be clear -- no longer pink.
Preheat the oven so that food can cook as quickly as possible.
After cooking food in the microwave, always leave it to stand to complete the cooking process.
Serve hot food hot -- too hot to handle. If there is a delay before serving hot foods, then they need to be kept hot - not just warm.

Handling Leftovers

Reheat leftovers, stirring them, until they are hot - ( too hot to handle ).
Food should not be reheated more than once.
Never taste leftover food that looks or smells strange to see if you can still use it.

Storing

Don't leave High Risk Foods sitting out at room temperature.
Keep dry goods (flour, rice, muesli, pasta etc) in airtight containers.
Hot food should be cooled quickly before being put into the fridge, not put in hot as the higher temperature will increase the temperature of the fridge, encourage condensation and associated mould growth.
You can cool food more quickly by increasing its surface area by cutting/slicing and/or putting it in shallow containers.
Food in the fridge should be kept at 4°C or below, and you should use high risk foods within 2 days.
Perishable foods should be stored in covered containers to prevent them from being tainted or spoiled by other foods.
Store raw meat, poultry and fish on the lowest shelf of the fridge to prevent their juices from dripping onto other foods.
To avoid "freezer burn" and drying out, food to be frozen needs to be well wrapped.
Label and date the food you put in the freezer.
Frozen foods should be kept between -12°C and -18°C.

Storage Times

The following table will help with safe storage times for fridges and freezers. The refrigeration times may depend on the foods freshness when purchased, and past storage conditions. The quality of defrosted foods depends on the condition of the food before freezing, how well it was prepared for freezing, and the temperature of the freezer.

Food

Example

Fridge
(Days)

Freezer
(Months)

Dairy products

Milk, Cream	Use-by date
Whipped cream	1-2	2
Butter, Margarine	Use-by date	6
Cheese	21	4
Grated cheese	Use-by date	4
Cottage cheese	Use-by date	4
Ice cream		1-2

Eggs

Use-by date

Fish, Seafood

Fresh	1-2	2
Cooked (fillets, paua, crayfish)	1	1

Cooked meat

Stews, Casseroles, Sliced meats	1-2	1
Roasts, Joints	2-3	1-2

Raw meat

Mince	1-2	2
Bacon	2-3	2
Steak, Chops, Roasts	2-3	6

Chicken

Raw - whole	1-2	6
Raw - portions	1-2	3-4
Cooked	1-2	1

Vegetables

Tomatoes

Green leafy (silverbeet etc)	2-3	4
Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussel-sprouts, Celery, Leeks, Marrow	5-7	4-6
3-7	4-6

Fruit

Apples, Pears		6
Berries		6
Stone-fruit		6

Bread

Bakery products

Cakes, Scones, Pikelets		4
Pastry (uncooked)		3

Personal Hygiene In The Kitchen

Hands

As your hands are often in direct contact with food they are one of the main routes for contaminating food and transferring food poisoning bacteria.

Hand Washing

All those handling food must wash their hands:

Before handling any food or equipment.
After handling raw meat and chicken and before you handle other foods
Immediately after going to the toilet, blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing, smoking and handling waste food or rubbish.

All those handling food must:

Avoid unnecessarily handling food, but should use tongs, forks, spoons, scoops, or other suitable utensils where possible.
Use a clean spoon to sample food, not your fingers.
Not cough or sneeze over or around food.
Not smoke while preparing or handling food.
Keep all utensils, cutting boards, stove tops, fridges, and benches clean.
Use only clean dish cloths and tea towels.
Avoid handling the food contact surfaces of crockery and cutlery.
Throw out chipped or cracked crockery.
Cover any cuts or sores on your hands with a bandage, or use plastic gloves
Not use the kitchen sink for washing your pet's dishes, or washing babies' nappies or clothes.

And Finally (When Shopping) Remember

Shop only at hygienic shops.
Demand hygienic service.
Only buy High Risk Foods that are refrigerated.
Insist on tongs.
Don't finger food.
Replace food covers.
Don't cough over food.
Keep children from touching food.
Leave animals outside.
Don't litter.

Common Food Poisoning Illnesses

Campylobacter
Foods involved	Contaminated meat and meat products, especially poultry.< br /> Contaminated water, and raw milk.
Main Symptoms	Diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever, nausea, and vomiting.
Onset of Illness	1 to 10 days (usually 3 to 5 days).
Source	Campylobacter bacteria are often present in the waste of man and animals (especially domestic animals and poultry).< br /> This illness is infectious and can be spread to other people.
Salmonella
Foods involved	Contaminated meat and meat products, especially poultry.< br /> Custard, cream, milk and egg products, and salads.
Main Symptoms	Fever, headache, aching limbs, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhoea, and sometimes vomiting.
Onset of Illness	6 to 72 hours (usually 12 to 36 hours).
Source	Salmonella bacteria are often present in the waste of man and animals, (especially rodents and poultry).< br /> This illness is infectious and can be spread to other people.
Staphylococcus
Foods involved	Contaminated moist protein foods. Meat, eggs and fish products.
Main Symptoms	Abdominal pain, severe vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, and sometimes collapse.
Onset of Illness	1 to 6 hours (usually 2 to 4 hours).
Source	Staphylococcal bacteria may come from infected sores, nasal secretions and skin (perspiration and hair).< br /> The toxin that causes illness can survive ordinary cooking.
Listeria
Foods involved	Contaminated processed meats and meat products, raw milk, seafood, poultry and vegetables etc (eg coleslaw).
Main Symptoms	Normal host	Acute/mild fever, influenza-like symptoms.
Main Symptoms	At risk host	Fever, intense headache, nausea, meningeal irritation and vomiting. Infection of the foetus, septicemia, meningitis, and still-birth.
Onset of Illness	3 days to 3 weeks.
Source	Listeria bacteria are commonly found in soil, water, vegetation, domestic animals, and man.< br /> The illness, though infectious, is relatively rare.
At Risk Hosts	Pregnant women, the elderly, and those with lowered immune systems.
Yersinia
Foods involved	Contaminated meat and meat products, especially pork mince and tongue. Contaminated water, seafood and raw milk.
Main Symptoms	Under 5 yrs diarrhoea, (sometimes bloody). Over 5yrs abdominal pain (like appendicitis), also fever, joint pain sore throat and rash.
Onset of Illness	12 hrs to 11 days (usually 24 to 48 hours).
Source	Yersinia bacteria are often present in the waste of farm animals (especially pigs) and infected pets-(puppies and kittens) and man.< br /> This illness is infectious and can be spread to other people.
Giardia
Foods involved	Contaminated food and water such as streams and water-races.
Main Symptoms	Chronic diarrhoea (often loose and pale coloured), abdominal cramps, bloating, nausea, fatigue and weightloss.
Onset of Illness	3 to 25 days (usually 7 to 10 days).
Source	Giardia parasites are often present in the waste of farm animals, pets and man. This illness is infectious and can be spread to other people.
Cryptosporidium
Foods involved	Contaminated food and water, unpasteurised milk or fruit juices.
Main Symptoms	Diarrhoea (often watery), abdominal cramps/pain, and anorexia. Fever, nausea, and vomiting occur less often.
Onset of Illness	1 to 12 days (usually 7 days).
Source	Cryptosporidium parasites are often present in the waste of farm animals, poultry, pets and man.< br /> This illness is infectious and can be spread to other people.
Clostridium Perfringens
Foods involved	Contaminated poultry meat and meat products, especially stews, gravies and pies.
Main Symptoms	Abdominal pain, diarrhoea and nausea.
Onset of Illness	8 to 22 hours, (usually 10 to 12 hours).
Source	This organism is found in the waste of animals and man, and often in raw meat and in soil.< br /> It thrives in airless conditions and survives ordinary cooking.
CHEMICAL POISONING
Foods involved	All foods can be affected; (eg. soap powders/rat poison getting into dry food mixes; garden poison residues in soft drink bottles).
Main Symptoms	Abdominal pain, nausea, at times vomiting and diarrhoea. These symptoms may not be present for a lot of poisons-- in these cases often the first symptom is of collapse.
Onset of Illness	Usually less than half an hour.

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