Remember Food Safety at Home During Summer

With summer fast approaching and warmer weather already here, take a few simple steps to reduce your chances of getting sick from food prepared at home.

More people get sick from food over summer than at any other time of the year, because bacteria grow faster in the warm moist conditions of the summer months so can be present in higher numbers than weore used to in raw foods.

Over summer we are more likely to be eating raw foods like salads and seasonal summer fruits. We recommend washing all fruit and vegetables before eating them raw.

We also tend to do more cooking or preparing of food outside at picnics, barbecues and on camping trips, which means foods might be out of the fridge for longer than usual.

Thereos nothing better than a fantastic meal with family and friends. But thereos also nothing worse than that same food causing days of misery thanks to it being contaminated by harmful bugs (bacteria, viruses and other organisms that can cause illness).

Fortunately, you can reduce the risk of you, your family or friends having a nasty foodborne illness by following simple food safety steps: r r r r r r

Begin with clean hands s wash your hands for 20 seconds with warm water and soap and dry your hands for 20 seconds before and after handling all food, including fresh produce.

Remember the 4Cs s Clean, Cook, Cover, Chill s to help keep harmful bugs at bay.

Barbecue safely by precooking chicken, sausages and minced meat, then barbecue until meat is steaming hot (over 75 degrees Celsius) all the way through.

Washing fresh produce under running water is an important part of ensuring your favourite fruits and veges are safe to consume.

Many pre-cut, bagged fresh produce items like lettuce are prewashed. If the package label indicates the contents have been pre-washed, you do not need to wash it again.

Cooking destroys harmful bugs. Cooking some specific higher risk foods, like bean sprouts and frozen imported berries for instance, will help keep you safe. While some consumers wish to eat these products without cooking, they need to understand there is a risk in doing so.

Council are happy to answer any questions you may have regarding food safety. You can get in touch with the Council team by phoning 06 374 4080 (north) or 06 376 0110 (south), alternatively you can email info@tararuadc.govt.nz.