Food Safety - The 4 Cs

The Food Standards Agency's theme for Food Safety Week 2008 was the 4 Cs.

Cleanliness

Prevent harmful bacteria from spreading by observing good personal hygiene:

  • Wash hands after using the loo, after handling raw food, and before touching food which is ready to eat

  • Do not handle or prepare food if you have had a stomach upset, have sores or cuts or weeping eye/ear infections

Cooking

Cook food thoroughly, especially meat and poultry. Make sure it is piping hot before serving. If you have to reheat food, make it piping hot all the way through and only reheat it once.

Chilling

Keep foods at the right temperature to slow down or stop bacterial growth. Look at the label on foods to see how they should be stored. It is recommended that you store perishable foods at 0-5 degrees centigrade.

Cross Contamination

Cross contamination, or the transfer of bacteria from raw foods to ready-to-eat foods, can happen by:

  • Using the same chopping board to prepare raw and ready-to-eat foods

  • Using the same knife for raw and ready-to-eat food

  • Using the same cloth to clean up raw food spills and ready-to-eat food preparation areas

  • Storing raw and ready-to-eat foods together. Always store ready-to-eat foods above raw foods in the refrigerator.

Remember hands also can transfer bacteria from raw to ready-to-eat foods.

Contact

If you need any further information about food safety, contact:

Rhona Douglas
Principal Food/Health and Safety Officer

Telephone: 0141 577 3031
Email: