Food Safety Rules

Follow the below food safety rules:

Cold storage
• Cold food must be 5 °C or colder.
• Frozen food must be frozen hard.
• Check the temperature of fridges and cold storage areas regularly.
• Thaw food in your fridge, away from, and below, cooked or ready to eat food.

Preparation
• Limit the time that high-risk food is in the temperature danger zone and return to the refrigerator during delays.
• If food is kept within the temperature danger zone for a total time of 4 hours or more, throw it out.

Cross- contamination
• Cross-contamination occurs when harmful bacteria or allergens spread to food from other food, surfaces, hands or equipment. This can lead to food-poisoning, to ensure cross - contamination does not occur, make sure you;
1. Keep raw food separate from cooked or ready-to-eat food.
2. Use separate utensils and cutting boards when preparing raw and cooked or ready- to-eat food.

Cooking food
• Use a thermometer to make sure foods are thoroughly cooked and the centre reaches 75 °C.
• Hot food must be kept at 60 °C or hotter.
• Check that only clear juices run from thoroughly cooked minced meat, poultry, chicken or rolled roasts.

Cooling food
• High-risk food must cool from 60 °C to 21°C in the first 2 hours, and then to 5°C or lower in the next 4 hours.
• Once food has cooled to 21°C put it in the refrigerator or freezer.
• Large portions of food take longer to cool. Divide large portions into smaller batches before cooling.

Cleaning
• Use clean, sanitised and dry cutting boards, equipment and utensils.
• Clean and rinse wiping cloths after each use, and change frequently.
• Wash hands thoroughly and regularly.

Answer the following questions:

1.Explain the terms contamination and cross-contamination.
2. List the possible causes of cross-contamination that can occur within the domestic kitchen and ways to minimise the risk.

3. What do you understand by danger zone?