AVOID food poisoning during this heatwave by storing ingredients and meals safely and properly.
The Food Standards Agency has offered top tips on cleaning, cooking, chilling, and avoiding cross-contamination:
- store any food with a 'use by' date, along with cooked dishes, salads and dairy products, in your fridge
- keep chilled food out of the fridge for the shortest time possible during preparation
- cool cooked food quickly at room temperature and then place in the fridge within one to two hours
- please follow the storage instructions on packaging, including the best before and use-by dates
- check that your fridge is cold enough (5C or below) using a fridge thermometer, because the dials on fridges don't always show the right temperature.
- don't overfill your fridge
- wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water before and after food preparation and consumption
- keep raw and ready-to-eat foods apart
- do not use food past its use-by date
- always read any cooking instructions and make sure food is properly cooked before you serve it – it needs to be steaming hot
- ensure that food preparation areas are cleaned and sanitised before and after use and equipment is washed in hot soapy water
Visit food.gov.uk
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