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Here are the top ten food hygiene tips from the director of Australia’s food hygiene services to help you keep you and your family happy and healthy!

  1. The reason washing your dishes in a dishwasher is safer than in the sink is because of duration, heat and agitation. When washing your hands – it is a similar principle – agitation and heat. Wash your hands in warm water (not too hot so as to be uncomfortable) for at least 20 seconds with enough soap to create a lather.
  2. Bacteria needs warmth and moisture to multiply. Therefore, dry your hands thoroughly, preferably with a clean hand towel or paper towel after washing them. (Avoid drying them with a tea-towel)
  3. One cool brick in an esky will not keep perishable foods below 5° C. By arranging them to be spread over the bottom of the esky and some packed to the sides and on top will keep your food safer when transporting it in your car.
  4. When having a BBQ, cut processed meats such as sausages and minced hamburgers and check there are no pink juices, and the food is cooked right through (no pink juices).
  5. For your BBQ: do not use the same tongs or serving utensils that you used for raw meats to serve your cooked meats.
  6. Keep the tray for raw meat on a BBQ separate-so it cannot accidentally be used to put the cooked meat on.
  7. Don’t prepare food if you have gastro or a virus, as it can be passed on to others through the food. Keep out of the kitchen.  Buy take-away food if you don’t have someone else to cook for your family until 48 hours after your virus (or gastro) has ceased.
  8. Check the pre-packed salads purchased from the supermarket, to see if the label states that the ingredients have been washed. If the label does not say on the packaging “washed ready to eat”, then you need to wash it thoroughly.
  9. Fish grow dangerous toxins quickly, so keep fresh fish in the fridge for no longer than 2 days (or keep it frozen).
  10. Never thaw food overnight in room temperature. Plan ahead and thaw in the fridge, or use a microwave if cooking immediately after the thawing has been completed.
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  • I usually dry my hands with a paper towel but on the odd occasion use a tea towel – must try and stop that!

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  • Already do most of these. Just a couple I could try and place into my routine

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  • All of the tips l use and practice already which is good to know!

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  • These are great tips. I always make sure to keep an eye on how long things have been thawing for

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  • love keeping the home clean for my family for sure

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  • This was an interesting mini article. Thanks for posting!

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  • Great list with easy to use handy hints. It’s so important to have good hygiene when dealing with food

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  • Some interesting and very important tips =)

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  • I still won’t be changing from washing my dishes myself to a dishwasher.

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  • these are great tips or reminders for some people

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  • Always good to have a reminder of hygiene, as sometimes it can occasionally get overlooked.

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  • Great tips, particularly the gastro one, it would be great if people kept gastro to themselves and made sure they were properly over it before not just cooking but associating with other people.

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  • Great tips as a reminder and timely as we head into the bbq season.

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  • Im always looking for tips…thanks so much xx

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  • You can safely wash your hands in cold water as long as you use a good soap and agitate/rub hands well for no less than 20 seconds. Hot water, hot enough to kill germs, would burn our skin, thus why we use warm, its purely a comfort thing and also a lot of soaps lather much better with warm water..but cold is ok.

    Amanda R. Carrico, a research assistant professor.
    Carrico said that after a review of the scientific literature, her team found “no evidence that using hot water that a person could stand would have any benefit in killing bacteria.” Even water as cold as 40°F (4.4°C) appeared to reduce bacteria as well as hotter water, if hands were scrubbed, rinsed, and dried properly.

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