3 Steps to Food Safety
At Amity Health, each year we welcome Curtin University students from the field of Dietetics, for workplace practice. We welcome Josephine and thank her for taking the time to pen a blog post on the importance of Food Safety!
Did you know that having control of the temperature of your food can reduce your risk of food-borne illness?
It’s Food Safety Week and this year, it’s all about being prepared! This includes the correct storage of food, which is important in preventing food-borne illness from unsafe food storage practices.
Here are a few tips to prevent food-borne illness:
Tip 1: Purchase a thermometer
At only $10-15 a food thermometer can prevent food-borne illnesses
The best types are digital thermometers
Be sure to place and hold the prong into the thickest part of food to get an accurate temperature reading
Make sure to always clean the thermometer between uses to prevent contamination from uncooked to cooked parts of food.
Tip 2: Check expiry dates
Make sure to put older food in the front and newer food in the back. Keep it rotating!
Once an expiry date has hit, throw the food away
Remember: ‘Best Before’ dates are different from ‘Expiry/Use by’ dates
These foods are still safe and can be consumed after the ‘Best Before’ date has passed. It just won’t be of the best quality.
Tip 3: Keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot
Keep cold foods cold BELOW 5° C
Keep frozen foods frozen BELOW -18° C
Keep hot foods hot ABOVE 60° C
Check food is at the correct temperatures with your thermometer.
Timeline of safe food storage locations:
For perishable foods (e.g. cooked meals, dairy, washed and peeled fruit and vegetables) make sure to only keep food in temperatures between 5° C and 60° C for a maximum of 2 hours before moving into the fridge.
Cooked/cold food kept at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours must be eaten immediately. After 4 hours it must be thrown out as it will have too much bacteria growth to be safe for consumption.
Open foods or cooked meals stored in the fridge must be consumed or placed in the freezer within 3 days. Always read the instructions on packaged food for more details on the storage of specific items.
Your freezer must be at -18° C to prevent the growth of bacteria that cause illness. Most food can stay in the freezer for 4-12 months however beware some foods may not be the best quality, but they will still be safe to eat!
Remember to make sure food is at the correct temperature by avoiding overcrowding in the fridge/freezer! And test temperature with the food thermometer!
Click below to download a handy infographic to pop on your fridge as a reminder!
If you would like more information on food safety, here are some helpful resources:
Guest Writer: Josephine Carbone (Curtin University Dietetics Student) November 2021
This information was sourced from the following links.
· https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/foodsafety/standards/
· https://foodsafety.asn.au/australian-food-safety-week-2021/