Buying, storing, preparing and cooking food safely

Buying and storing food

• Use-by dates are on high-risk foods and are about safety: don't eat food after this date.
• Best before dates are about quality: food is safe after this date but may be less good.
• Fridge: 0°C to 5°C. Store raw meat and fish at the bottom, covered, so it can't drip onto ready-to-eat food.
• Freezer: −18°C or below. Rotate stock with "first in, first out" so older food is used first.

Preparing food safely

• Wash hands before handling food, after touching raw meat, after the toilet and after handling rubbish.
• Tie hair back, remove jewellery, cover cuts with a blue plaster and wear a clean apron.
• Use colour-coded chopping boards: red for raw meat, blue for raw fish, yellow for cooked meat, green for salad and fruit, brown for vegetables, and white for bread and dairy.
• Thaw frozen food in the fridge, not at room temperature.

Cooking, cooling and reheating

• Cook food to a core temperature of 75°C, checked with a clean food probe.
• Keep hot food above 63°C when serving.
• Cool leftovers quickly (within about 90 minutes), then refrigerate. Reheat only once, to 75°C.

Key terms

Use-by date

A date on high-risk foods showing when they are no longer safe.

Best before date

A date showing when food will be at its best quality.

First in, first out

Using older stock before newer stock.

Colour-coded chopping boards

Boards of different colours for different foods, to prevent cross-contamination.

Core temperature

The temperature at the centre of food.

Hot holding

Keeping cooked food above 63°C until served.