Key tips

Food safety

Keeping food safe can be quick and easy. Food safety is vitally important to maintaining good health.

Keep it cold

• keep the fridge below 5^oC
• put any food that needs to be kept cold in the fridge straight away
• don't eat food that’s meant to be in the fridge if it’s been left out for 2 hours or more
• defrost and marinate foods in the fridge, especially meats
• shop with a cooler bag, picnic with an esky

Keep it clean

• wash and dry hands thoroughly before starting to prepare or eat any food, even a snack
• keep benches, kitchen equipment and tableware clean and dry
• don't let raw meat juices drip onto other foods
• separate raw and cooked food and use different cutting boards and knives for both
• avoid making food for others if sick with something like diarrhoea

Keep it hot

• cook foods to at least 60^oC, until they're steaming hot
• reheat foods to at least 60^oC, until they're steaming hot
• make sure there's no pink left in cooked meats such as mince or sausages
• look for clear juices before serving chicken
• heat to boiling all marinades containing raw meat juices before serving

Check the label

• don’t eat food past a 'use-by' date
• note a 'best before' date
• follow storage and cooking instructions
• be allergy aware
• ask for information about unpackaged foods

Food poisoning

About 5.4 million Australians get food poisoning each year.

This, on average, results in 120 deaths, 1.2 million visits to doctors, 300,000 prescriptions for antibiotics and 2.1 million days of lost work.

The estimated annual cost of food poisoning in Australia is $1.25 billion. NSW and the public health system bear roughly one-third of these costs.

For more information call the NSW Food Authority helpline on 1300 552 406.