Septembe-Food Safety Month
The term food safety
covers all the steps and measures taken to avoid the risk of
food-borne illness or food poisoning. In the home, these revolve
around proper food handling and storage.
- It isn't true that putting hot food in the fridge makes it turn sour. Leftovers must be refrigerated or frozen without delay, within two hours of cooking.
- Bacteria multiply rapidly at danger-zone temperatures between 4°C and 60°C. So foods have to chilled or heated in the shortest possible time.
- Food, hands, utensils, equipment, working surfaces and cutting boards can all carry micro-organisms.
- The surest way to guarantee that ground meat is safely done is to cook it until its internal temperature registers 70°C on a meat thermometer. Just because it doesn't show any pink, doesn't mean that it's been cooked to a safe internal temperature. Using a meat thermometer is the best way to ensure that all meats are properly cooked.
Metro is proud to be part of Food Safety Month, giving out free information leaflets it its supermarkets. For more information on using leftovers safely, the proper cooling and heating of foods, home canning, and cooking meat and poultry, come pick up a brochure today.
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