Health & safety: Don't contaminate Christmas
The festive wining and dining season is fast approaching and one vital ingredient is paramount … food safety.
More than 20 per cent of food poisoning outbreaks are poultry-related, with most cases occurring during December. Other high-risk foods include red meat and minced beef, eggs and raw and unpasteurised milk.
Special care and attention should be paid to food safety and particularly how the Christmas turkey is handled, for this could be a prime source of salmonella food poisoning.
All poultry should be obtained from a reputable supplier and all instructions, including use-by date, storage, thawing and cooking, should be followed to the letter. With frozen brought-in products remember to highlight the use-by date, rotate stock and note the date on it when you commence thawing.
Thaw in a deep-sided container to prevent the juices or liquids dripping onto other foods. Test to ensure that there are no ice crystals lurking in the bird's cavity and that the legs and thighs are soft and easily moveable.
Traceability of the bird, from when it is delivered to you to the time it appears on the diner's plate, is of primary importance so that you know it is being properly rotated (among other stock), kept safe, prepared and cooked.
Most vulnerable to food poisoning are young children, elderly people, those who are convalescing after illness and pregnant women.
When the body detects the presence of harmful material it tries to get rid of it as quickly as possible, revealing symptoms such as abdominal pains, feeling nauseous, vomiting and diarrhoea, plus headaches and fever.
Most pathogenic bacteria cause illness after being in the body for between eight and 36 hours.
However, bacteria such as staphylococcus aureus can cause you to feel ill very quickly - within one to six hours. In extreme cases they can be life threatening, so good hygiene practices are an absolute necessity.
Here are a few of the key points to remember:
• Staff must always wash their hands using soap and clean towels after visiting the toilet and also after handling raw poultry or eggs. And if kitchen staff go out to check on storage or to take a cigarette or coffee break they must wash their hands before resuming work. Hands should also be washed in between tasks.
• Kitchen utensils should be thoroughly washed with soap and water immediately after use.
• To prevent cross-contamination, never use the same knives and cutting boards for different foods.
• Salmonella bacteria exist on the shell of most chicken eggs, so don't ever crack a raw egg on the side of the bowl you intend mixing the eggs in. Use a knife to crack the shell instead, thereby reducing the risk of contamination.
• Dishcloths and other cloths in the kitchen are prime ways to spread germs. Wash and disinfect cloths regularly - and never multi-use.
Venners and I wish you a safe and prosperous festive season and all the very best for 2010.
