Play it Food Safe

19 November 2020

As summer settles in and the temperature starts to climb, so do the number of incidents of food poisoning. 

To help reduce food related illness cases, the City has joined the State Government’s ‘Play it Food Safe’ campaign run by the Department of Health.

The campaign was created to tackle a rise in Salmonella cases in recent years by educating the public on food preparation and handling at home, particularly when it comes to eggs, chicken and storing perishable foods.

With most food poisoning happening at home rather than at commercial or retail food outlets, here are some simple tips on how to prevent food poisoning when preparing meals and handling foods:

• Never wash raw chicken, as this spreads bacteria around your kitchen that can make you sick

• Don’t let raw chicken juice contaminate other food, always wrap your chicken before storing it

• Separate raw chicken, meat and eggs from ready‑to‑eat food such as salads and fruit to prevent cross‑contamination

• Never wash raw eggs. Avoid bacteria getting inside the egg through the porous shell

• Always cook eggs until the yolk and whites are firm. If using raw eggs in foods such as desserts and mayonnaise, refrigerate immediately

• Throw out food that has been left out of the fridge for more than 4 hours

• Put cooked food in the fridge as soon as it finishes steaming

• Avoid food being stored in the temperature danger zone (5°C to 60°C) as bacteria that cause food poisoning grows best at these temperatures.

While food poisoning can be very serious – particularly for the elderly and children – it can be easily prevented if foods are handled and stored correctly.  

Visit the Department of Health’s ‘Play it Food Safe’ webpage for more information about the campaign.

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