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Christmas Food Safety (Saturday, 05 May 2007)



Avoiding food borne illness at Christmas will be easy if you remember the 4C’s of
keeping food safe.
Cook, Clean, Cover, Chill - these are the actions to keep in mind
when preparing and storing food for the Christmas festivities.

Why should I take extra care to keep food safe at Christmas?

There are a number of factors that increase the risk of food borne illness at Christmas time. We all tend to gather larger quantities of kai to cater for whänau over the holiday period and therefore tend to cook and store larger quantities of kai. Storing left-over kai after Christmas means an increase in possible breeding ground for bacteria that cause food borne illness.

Summer is a particularly hazardous time for food borne illness with food preparation often moving out of the kitchen to the outdoors for BBQs and hangi. Bacteria multiply faster on food in moist, warm conditions.

Some easy tips to keep you and your whānau safe over the holidays!

  • Buy or gather meats, kaimoana and dairy products as close to Christmas as possible and refrigerate or freeze immediately.


  • The correct temperature for your fridge is between 1-4 degrees; check regularly and if unsure call a professional. Store all raw meat products on the bottom shelf so juices don’t drip over other kai.


  • Make sure you defrost meat thoroughly in the fridge, allowing at least 24 hours for every 4-5 lbs (2-2.5kg) of weight.


  • Leftover meat should be taken off the bone, cut into small pieces and stored in a covered shallow dish and refrigerated within two hours of serving. Once refrigerated it should be eaten within three days. If you are re-heating food, make sure it is steaming hot all the way through.


For further information on keeping food safe this Christmas is available at www.foodsafe.org.nz or www.nzfsa.govt.nz