Home catering
Every year thousands of people suffer from food poisoning caught from food prepared in the home. This occurs more often in the summer or when home catering for large numbers.
At best, food poisoning is an inconvenience, at its worst it can be fatal. When catering at home you should always think carefully about food hygiene and plan ahead.
Food Safety Tips for Home Catering
- Wash your hands before you start and after: going to the toilet; touching raw meat; touching the bin or touching your face or hair and touching pets.
- Stop any bacteria from raw food spreading to food that is ready to eat and remember that raw meat and poultry contain bacteria that spread easily on hands, knives and chopping boards. Wash hands and equipment after contact.
- Keep cooked and ready to eat foods above raw food in the refrigerator.
- Don’t use raw eggs in uncooked products like ice cream, cake icing, mayonnaise or mousse. Buy these items ready made or use pasteurised eggs for this.
- Check that food is properly cooked, for example cut open the meat to make sure it is piping hot in the middle. Large joints and birds take longer to cook.
- Take extra care when cooking meat you’ve defrosted – if any parts are still even a little frozen it will take longer to cook.
- Try to prepare food as near to the time of intended service as possible. Try to avoid having to cook large quantities of food the day before.
- If you have to cook food in advance, cool it immediately after cooking and refrigerate. Never allow it to be at room temperature for more than 4 hours. Alternatively keep it hot.
- Make sure you have enough refrigerator space for ready to eat food like cold meat, cold rice dishes and sandwiches. Don’t put them out until it is time to eat.
- Use a fridge thermometer to check that the fridge is running at below 5°C.
- If you are catering at a large event transport cold food in cool boxes with ice packs and try to get refrigerated display space.
- Be extra careful when catering for the very young, the elderly, the sick and pregnant women - food poisoning may affect them far more severely.
If you are in doubt about any aspect of home catering for family and friends or for larger functions, then it is wise not to do it.
Further Information
More information on catering safety is available from the Food Standards Agency’s at: www.eatwell.gov.uk/keepingfoodsafe/
To seek advice from us to help you cater safely telephone please contact Barnet’s Food Safety Team
