18 December 2007, 07/443
Spread joy not germs this Christmas!
The District Council is urging all residents to take extra care
with their catering this Christmas.
It's the season of turkeys, party food and leftovers, and not
surprisingly it's also the time of year when a large number of food
poisoning cases are reported. But fear not, by following the
District Council's top food safety tips you can eat your way safely
through the festivities.
Top tips:
· Wash your hands frequently especially before preparing or
touching food and after dealing with raw food, coughing sneezing or
touching pets.
· Never store raw foods and cooked foods next to each other and in
fridges always place cooked food above raw.
· Frozen turkeys or other poultry must be thawed thoroughly before
cooking (it is best to thaw frozen poultry in the fridge but
remember that depending on the size of the bird this can take over
2 days).
· Use separate chopping boards and utensils or wash them thoroughly
to avoid cross contamination.
· When the poultry is cooked the juices will run clear. If they are
not clear return food to the oven and continue cooking.
· Cooked food should not be left out at room temperature for more
than 90 minutes.
· Leftovers intended for further use should be placed in the fridge
or freezer as soon as possible.
· Keep your fridge clean and cold (between 0-4 degrees
Celsius).
· Leftovers kept in the fridge should be well covered and used
within 48 hours.
· Avoid reheating food more than once - if you reheat leftovers
make sure they are piping hot throughout, not just warm.
Cllr Martin Forshaw, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Health,
said: "The Council is working in partnership with the Cumbria &
Lancashire Health Protection Agency and the Central Lancashire PCT
to raise awareness of the ways to safely prepare and cook
turkey.
"We want to help make sure that everyone enjoys a happy and healthy
Christmas and I really hope that people will follow these simple
guidelines to help reduce their chances of suffering from food
poisoning."
An informative leaflet containing further information on food
safety is available on request by telephoning the Food Safety Team
on 01695 577177.
Related information
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