Serving food safely

Last updated: 01 November 2007

Serving food

With an estimated 1.5 million Australians suffering from food related illnesses each year, NSW Health has issued a warning to consumers and caterers to observe strict food handling, serving and storage guidelines throughout summer.

Storing and serving food at incorrect temperatures or keeping it for too long at room temperature, increases the likelihood of food poisoning.

Many households and businesses have the important job of catering safely for large numbers of guests in the weeks ahead.

This means that hosts have the responsibility to ensure guidelines for safe food handling and storage are implemented.

Raw meat, fish, poultry as well as - and this may surprise some - raw vegetables can contain large numbers of bacteria that can readily contaminate other food if they are not stored or handled carefully.

It's a good idea to check that all your refrigerators are chilled to lower than 5ºC and that they're not overstocked.

Hot foods need to be hot. Make sure hot foods are kept at least at 60°C, and if you're reheating leftovers, all parts of the food need to reach 75°C before it can be safe to serve.

For some, a kitchen thermometer could be the perfect gift!

If you're unsure of the quality of any food, remember the old saying, 'if in doubt, throw it out'.

Guidelines for the safe handling, storage and serving of food include:

• The safest way to thaw frozen food is either in a clean refrigerator or microwave; otherwise the longer it is left out at room temperature the more bacteria can multiply.
• Refrigerator temperature should be lower than 5ºC. Chilled food needs to be stored below this temperature, any higher and bacteria start to grow.
• Don't overstock your fridge. There needs to be good airflow around food ensuring even distribution of temperature.
• Hot foods need to be kept at a temperature of 60°C at which bacteria can't survive.
• Reheated foods should be quickly reheated until all parts of the food reach 75°C.
• Use different cutting boards and knifes for raw and cooked food.
• Wash dirty hands thoroughly to stop the spread of bacteria.

For more information on food poisoning, contact a health professional.