One of the most important parts of preparing and making food is to do it safely!

Food hygiene is all about preventing the spread of bacteria that can make people sick…

Like us, to live and grow, bacteria need food and moisture, a warm home and time.

How we store food is very important in the fight against bacteria. Many of the foods we buy tell us how we should store them on the labels, but there are some basic rules…

Fun Kids Food Hygiene Handbook!

• Keep chilled food in the fridge with raw meats at the bottom.
• Keep frozen food in the freezer and don’t re-freeze defrosted food.
• Wash your hands regularly with soap and make sure that you scrub them all over – don’t just dip your fingers under a tap! This is even more important if you’ve just been to the toilet or have dirt on your hands.
• Use different chopping boards for meat and vegetables, and don’t cut meat on a porous material like wood. Having a selection of different coloured boards makes this easier.
• Before starting to cook, have any long hair tied back, and have short sleeves or rolled up sleeves that can’t catch in anything.
• Any cuts or scratches should be covered with a plaster, ideally blue – so it can be seen if it drops in the cake mixture!
• Make sure fish and meat are thoroughly cooked before eating them.

All good cooks need to taste as they go along but don’t use the same spoon more than once, and try not to touch food that other people are going to eat.

Visit the Grain Chain Homepage