As poor food handling is a common cause for food poisoning, it is important to understand what you can do to reduce the risk. 

Keep hands and equipment clean

Do:

• Prevent pests, insects and animals from entering the kitchen

• Sanitise all food contact surfaces and utensils used for food preparation regularly

• Wash your hands with hot water and soap before preparing food and between handling raw and cooked food

Always separate raw and cooked food

Do: 

• Use separate utensils for raw meats and ready to eat foods

• Store ready to eat foods (i.e. vegetables, fruit, salads and cooked food) on shelves higher than raw meat products in your refrigerator

Do not:

• Cross contaminate by separating raw meats (this includes seafood and poultry) with ready to eat foods

Be mindful of temperature

Do:

• Refrigerate all perishable foods as soon as possible at or below 5ºC

• Cook food thoroughly (at or above 60ºC). For poultry and meat ensure all juices are clear and not pink

Do not:

• Leave food at room temperature for longer than two hours

For more information on food hygiene in your home, visit the Department of Health WA website.

Play it Food Safe Campaign

Play it Food Safe is a public education campaign run by the Department of Health and is aimed at raising food safety awareness and improving food handling practices in Western Australia (WA). Food poisoning can be very serious however it can also be prevented if foods are handled and stored correctly. Below are some key tips on how to prevent food poisoning when preparing and handling food in your home: 

• The majority of food poisoning happens at home. Make sure you Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill to prevent food poisoning

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

• Don’t let raw chicken juice contaminate other foods. Always wrap your chicken before storing it

• Separate raw chicken, meat and eggs from ready‑to‑eat food, like 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 you use 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 into 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 (1)

To find out more about the Play it Food Safe campaign, visit the Department of Health's website.

References:

(1) Department of Health Play it Food Safe campaign. Retrieved from: https://www.health.wa.gov.au/Articles/A_E/Campaign-play-it-food-safe