The Importance of Food Safety Awareness
Food safety is the science that describes how to prepare and preserve various foods to prevent food poisoning. This requires a number of key rules to avoid potential health risks. Unfortunately, we cannot properly assess the causes of infection (bacteria, viruses, etc.) using our senses (smell, smell, and taste). Therefore, we must use recommendations to ensure food safety.
Main recommendations on food safety
Transfer food to the refrigerator without delay if it is not in use at the moment and leaving it without a refrigerator affects the quality and freshness of the products.
When you go shopping, first buy foods that are unlikely to spoil (dry foods – rice, pasta, legumes, etc., butter, canned food, etc.) and only towards the end of the purchase, frozen foods or foods that require refrigeration.
Never buy meat or poultry in torn or liquid packaging. Never buy products that have expired or are about to expire.
Be sure to refrigerate food that needs to be refrigerated within two hours of purchase (within the hour when the outside temperature exceeds 32 degrees Celsius).
Cook or freeze fresh meat (beef, poultry, fish, etc.) within two days of purchase.
Check the temperature in your refrigerator and freezer. The temperature in the refrigerator should be 4-6 degrees Celsius, and the temperature in the freezer should be below -17 degrees Celsius.
Foods that require refrigeration, such as poultry and beef, should be well-wrapped to maintain their quality.
Be sure to separate food while cooking. Wash hands, knives, work, and cutting surfaces with soap and water after cutting meat.
Disinfect cutting surfaces with a special detergent. If you are marinating meat or chicken, keep it in the refrigerator with a lid.
Refrigerator – The refrigerator allows for slow and safe thawing. Make sure that defrosted food does not come into contact with other food in the refrigerator.
Cook meat (fresh or defrosted such as beef, lamb, steaks, ribs, etc.) until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 62 degrees Celsius before removing it from the heat. Measurements must be carried out using a special thermometer.
Minced meat – cook all types of minced meat until they reach an internal temperature of at least 71 degrees Celsius.
Chicken and chicken pieces – Cook chicken and chicken pieces until they reach an internal temperature of at least 74 degrees Celsius.
When serving buffet-style food (open buffet), keep the cooked meals you serve warm with special plate heaters or cooking plates. On the contrary, it is recommended to place cold foods in an ice cream container or alternatively serve these foods in small trays and refill them frequently.
Throw away leftover food left at room temperature for more than two hours (or more than an hour when the outside temperature exceeds 32 degrees Celsius).
Place any leftover food that you choose to keep in the refrigerator or frozen in plastic boxes (shallow boxes are preferred so that the food cools faster) and immediately place them in the refrigerator or freezer.
This is just a small piece of information. If your work or position requires the knowledge about the food safety, we recommend trying a specially developed course available on The Skills Network website.
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