October 2016

FOOD SAFETY AND HYGIENE

In this issue:
Bacteria
Cross Contamination
Behaviours to reduce

the risk of food

poisoning
Food Poisoning and

spoilage
Best before and use by

dates

How to stop bacteria getting into the food:

Bacteria are microscopic organisms, often referred to
as germs. You cannot tell if food contains food
poisoning bacteria by how it looks, smells or tastes.
This may however indicate spoilage and if food has
been allowed to spoil the conditions may have been
right to allow food poisoning bacteria to grow to high
levels.
Stop bacteria multiplying on food:

Learning zone for kids

Bacteria multiply on food by splitting in two. This process is known as

binary fission. In order to multiply bacteria it needs the following things:

Warmth

Food and moisture

Time

Killing bacteria already on food:

Adequate cooking will kill most food-poisoning bacteria.
Inadequate cooking will allow bacteria to survive and this can
cause food poisoning.
Conditions for bacteria to grow:
In order to grow, bacteria needs time, food, water or moisture
and warmth. The foods that provide bacteria with the
right conditions for growth are generally moist foods such as
meat, dairy and egg products as well as moist cereal
products like steamed rice.

Danger Zone
The best temperature for food poisoning to grow is at body temperature around 37C. To prevent
growth, food should be kept below 5C or above 63C. The range between these temperatures is
often referred to as the danger zone. Food poisoning bacteria multiply quickly in warm rooms
Cross Contamination
This is the transfer of bacteria from sources such as raw food to ready-to eat foods. For example,
this may happen directly when raw meat touches cooked meat or indirectly when a person handles
cooked meat after handling raw meat without washing their hands.
It occurs when harmful bacteria spreads from food to other foods, surfaces, hands or equipment. It
can occur if equipment used for raw food preparation is then cooked or used for ready-to-eat foods.
The dos and donts for cross contamination:
DOS

Keep raw meat and vegetables away from cooked

food.

Keep cooked meat above raw meat in the

refrigerator.

Keep food covered and protected.

Clean and sanitise all equipment and benches.
Store food properly.
Wear clean clothing.
Wash hands before handling food.

DONTS

Chop raw and cooked meat on the same chopping board.

Handling raw food then cooked food without washing your hands.
Use food handling gloves if managing money.
Store food uncovered in the fridge or cool room.

How to prevent cross contamination

By following a few simple steps as you handle, store, shop and cook foods, you can
greatly reduce your risk of food poisoning.
When shopping for groceries it is best to separate fresh or frozen, raw meat,
poultry, seafood and eggs from produce and ready to eat foods in your trolley and
bags.
If you are using reusable bags to transport groceries, place meat, poultry and
seafood in plastic bags to prevent juices from leaking.
Place groceries in the back seat instead of the trunk of a car.
When storing food, refrigerate or freeze groceries within 2 hours.
Keep raw meat, poultry and seafood on bottom shelf or refrigerator in a sealed
container or plastic bag to ensure juices dont drip onto ready to eat foods to cause
contamination.
Keep eggs in original carton and store on shelves of refrigerator not the door.

Best before date

The best before date is used on foods with a longer shelf life, such as frozen, dried
or tinned food. It provides a guideline about when to use the product to ensure
that its quality is of the highest standard. So when the date runs out, it does not
meant that the food will be harmful, but it might begin to lose its flavour and
texture.
Best before dates will only be accurate if the food is stored according to the
instructions on the label such as store in a cool dry place or keep in the fridge
once opened, Look out for other storage instructions, such as once opened
refrigerate and use within one week.

Use by date
The use by date is used on perishable foods that are typically found in
chilled display units, such as cooked meats, diary products and prepared
salads.
These foods need to be:
Stored safely by following the instructions on their labels such as keep in a
refrigerator. If you dont follow these instructions, the food will spoil faster and you
may be at risk of food poisoning.
Eaten within the use by date. The use by date is about the safety of the food, so
do not use any food after the end of the use by date, even if it looks and smells
fine.

Food Spoilage:
Food spoilage can be defined as a disagreeable change in a food's normal state.
Such changes can be detected by smell, taste, touch, or
sight. These changes are due to a number of reasons -air and oxygen, moisture, light and temperature.

Food Poisoning:
Is an illness caused by bacteria or other toxins in food,
typically with diarrhoea or vomiting.

Salmonella:
Salmonella is a type of food poisoning,
it is a bacteria that makes people sick.
Most people infected with Salmonella
develop diarrhoea, fever, and
abdominal cramps between 12 and 72
hours after infection. The illness
usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most
individuals recover without treatment.
Children are at the highest risk of
Salmonella Children under the age of
5 have higher rates of Salmonella than any other age group. Young
children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems are the
most likely to have severe infections4.
Signs and symptoms
- fever

- headaches

- loss of appetite

- diarrhoea

- stomach cramps

- nausea and vomiting

KIDS LEARNING ZONE!

Can you find the words?

S
B
D
M
C
G
R
O
W
T
H

R
E
A
N
O
R
T
H
C
M
Z

F
Y
N
C
N
A
I
E
O
O
Y

O
I
G
B
T
W
M
A
O
I
U

O
O
E
E
I
E
E
L
K
S
O

D
K
R
T
M
S
R
T
E
T
S

H
L
Z
A
I
P
H
H
D
U
T

W
S
O
D
N
O
Y
Y
A
R
O

N
A
N
Y
A
I
G
T
C
E
R

WORDS TO FIND:
FOOD
USE BY DATE
SAFETY
HYGIENE
SPOILAGE
BACTERIA
DANGER ZONE
CONTIMINATION
GROWTH
COOKED
MOISTURE
STORAGE
HEALTHY
CLEAN
CROSSWORD FUN

COLOURING IN!

Q
B
E
B
T
L
I
E
L
H
A

J
D
N
E
I
A
E
F
E
Y
G

A
N
P
S
O
G
N
A
A
R
E

O
Q
I
U
N
E
E
S
N
Q
E