26 September has been declared “World Environmental Health Day” by the International Federation of Environmental Health to be celebrated each year.

‘This year’s WEHD theme of ‘Global Food Safety and Sustainability’ aims to support the provision of more safe food, to make use of precious water and nutrient resources, and for communities to increasingly value sustainable food production.’

Let us support the provision of more safe food, to make use of precious water and nutrient resources, and for communities to increasingly value sustainable food production.

Top tips for food safety

Purchasing food

• Check ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates marked on package labels.
• Take chilled food straight home after purchase, if you can’t, use an insulated bag.
• Beware of poor shop hygiene, for example, overloaded chilled cabinets. The food may not be as cold as it should be.
• Avoid damaged packages.

Storing food

• Aim to keep the coldest part of your fridge between 0°C and 5°C (32°F and 41°F).
• Keep a fridge thermometer in the coldest part and check the temperature regularly.
• Keep the most perishable foods, like cooked meats, in the coldest part of the fridge.
• Return perishable foods to the fridge or freezer as soon as possible after use.

Cooking food

• Cook food thoroughly to kill harmful bacteria.
• Don’t shorten cooking times given on package labels or in cookery books.
• Thaw frozen meat and poultry thoroughly, or it may not cook completely. It is best to defrost food in the fridge or by microwaving.
• Do not make recipes that include eggs which won’t be cooked, such as mayonnaise. Raw eggs sometimes contain food poisoning bacteria only killed by thorough cooking.