Festive Food Safety

Our Health Writer, Colleen Shannon, has some tips for your Christmas cooking.

YOU’RE probably in for extra cooking as Christmas approaches, and amidst all the hustle and bustle, it’s tempting to cut some corners.

Yet happy memories can change to miserable ones if everyone comes down with a tummy bug, and sometimes an illness can be serious, so it is worth taking care with food safety.

I asked Adam Hardgrave, expert in Food Hygiene at the Food Standards Agency, to give us an update on some of the latest advice.

Let’s start from the time you do your Christmas shopping. Take enough bags along so you can pack raw and ready-to-eat foods separately, he advised.

It’s important to do this because bacterial transfer between raw and cooked food, known as crosscontamination, is the cause behind most cases of food poisoning.

You’ll need extra room in your fridge and freezer. Remove items that don’t need to be chilled for safety, such as beer, and leave space for foods that must be kept cold, like your turkey and trifle.

It’s important to think about crosscontamination at every stage. To stop bacteria travelling, store your raw foods separately from cooked and ready-to-eat ones. Your raw foods might include meat and poultry, fish and shellfish, and vegetables that you’re going to cook.

Cover them up and store these foods on the bottom shelf of your fridge, so they can’t drip down on to food you’re going to eat uncooked.

Your fridge will only help keep bacteria in check if it’s cold enough, so make sure the temperature is below five degrees C. For accuracy, don’t rely on the fridge’s dial – buy a fridge thermometer.

The temperature is important when it’s time to cook your food, too, especially if it’s turkey, chicken, duck, goose, pork, or any type of minced meat.

Check the instructions on the package (or ask your butcher). In general, thoroughly cooked meat of these types should be steaming hot all the way through, with no pink patches, and the juices should run clear.

It’s best to cook your stuffing outside the bird, too. Remember: turkey, when cooked correctly, is a great healthy choice (you can read more about its benefits on page 23).

After the big day, you’ll have the lovely leftovers. Cover the food, let it cool down for an hour or two, then pop it in the fridge for up to two days (only one day for rice, which can harbour harmful spores).

You can also freeze your leftovers. Again, do this within two days. Before use, defrost the food thoroughly in your microwave or fridge. If it’s meat, use it within 24 hours of defrosting.

When you want to eat any leftovers, make sure they’re reheated until piping hot all the way through.

You’ll find lots of information about food safety on the FSA website at www.food.gov.uk, and it’s useful not only at Christmas, but all year round. ■