HEALTH AND SAFETY GUIDELINES
Because of consumer demand, preservatives have been removed from many pre-prepared foods. This together with the changes in shopping habits to a once-a-week shop, mean that safe handling and storage of food is even more important than ever. The following tips should help you to ensure that the food in your home is in as perfect condition as possible. Keep the time between buying chilled food and placing it in your freezer as short as possible. Tests showed that the temperature of 1 litre of orange juice rose to 22°C in an hour between the supermarket and home. It then took 11 hours to get down to 7°C in the refrigerator. Keep the freezer door closed as much as possible. Remember that warm air is �owing in as you are deciding what to have for tea! Do not push food together too much, try to allow air circulate around each item. Cool cooked food as quickly as possible but do NOT place in the freezer until cool. (Leave food in a place as cool as possible in order that it can then be placed in the freezer as soon as possible). Do not store food uncovered.
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The best way to defrost food is to put it in the refrigerator to thaw slowly. Ensure that food placed in the freezer is dated and labelled and used in date order to ensure that food is consumed at its best. It is important that food is used before its �best before� date. Always wash your hands with soapy water and dry them with a clean towel before handling food. Keep work surfaces clean and avoid cross contamination by not using the same work surface or knife, without washing them thoroughly in between. Use kitchen roll wherever possible for cleaning up food. If you use a dishcloth, be sure to boil it frequently.
