Chapter 7 from Good food,Good Business
Foods
that need extra care
Some
foods need to be treated with extra care to make sure they are safe
to eat.
Ready-to-eat
food
Ready-to-eat
food will not be cooked or reheated before serving. These include
salads,cold meats,smoked fish,desserts, sandwiches,cheese and food
that you have cooked in advance to serve cold.
To
protect food from harmful bacteria:
Keep
ready-to-eat food completely separate from raw
meat,poultry,fish,eggs and unwashed vegetables. Use the appropriate
chopping board for the right job.
Make
sure work surfaces,chopping boards,knives etc.are clean and
disinfected if you have prepared raw food.
Keep
ready-to-eat food covered at all times during preparation and
storage
Why?
This
is to prevent harmful bacteria getting onto the food. This is
especially important for ready-to-eat food because it will not be
cooked or reheated before serving.
When
preparing fruit, vegetables and salad ingredients:
Peel,trim,or
remove the outer parts,as appropriate
Wash
them thoroughly by rubbing vigorously in a bowl of clean water
Wash
the cleanest ones first, wash your hands
before and after handling fruit and vegetables. If you
have prepared vegetables that have dirt or soil on the outside,
clean and then disinfect chopping boards and work surfaces before
preparing other food.
Why?
The
dirt on vegetables and salad ingredients can contain harmful
bacteria. Peeling and washing helps to remove the dirt and bacteria.
Make
sure ready-to-eat food stored in the fridge and cold display units
must be kept between
1°C
to
4°C.
Why?
If
these types of food are not kept cold enough, harmful bacteria could
grow.
Do
not use ready-to-eat food after the ‘use
by’
date,
if there is one.
Why?
You
should never use food that has passed its ‘use
by’
date
because it might not be safe to eat.
Slicing
cooked meats-follow the manufacturers instructions and do not handle
meat with bare hands, wear disposable
gloves or use tongs.
Why?
Meat
slicers need careful cleaning and disinfecting to prevent dirt
building up and to stop harmful bacteria growing, in particular on
the slicing blade. Hands can easily spread harmful bacteria onto
food.
You
should not use the same machinery and equipment,such as vacuum
packing machines,slicers and mincers for both raw and ready-to-eat
food. This is because,it is not possible to clean equipment
thoroughly enough to be sure all harmful bacteria have been removed.
Any bacteria could then spread to ready-to-eat
food. If you are preparing both raw and ready-to-eat food, you should
make sure where possible this is done in separate clean and
disinfected areas. If this is not possible, surface and utensils used
must be thoroughly cleaned and then disinfected between tasks. Make
sure staff wash
their hands thoroughly between tasks,especially
when working with raw and ready-to-eat food. This stops bacteria
being spread onto foods, surfaces and equipment.
Trouble
If
you think that a food delivery has not been handled safely,reject the
delivery.
If
ready-to-eat vegetables,fruit or salad ingredients have not been
washed properly,wash them properly and clean any work surfaces
etc.they have touched.
If
ready-to-eat food has been prepared on a work surface or with a
knife that has been used for raw meat,poultry, fish, eggs or
unwashed fruit and vegetables,throw the
food away.
If
ready-to-eat food has not been chilled safely,throw
the food away.
If
you do not think a supplier handles food safely,consider changing to
a new supplier. After all it is your business and reputation at risk,
if something goes wrong.
Eggs
Cook
eggs and foods containing eggs thoroughly until they are steaming
hot.
Why?
Eggs
can contain harmful bacteria. If you cook them thoroughly this kills
any bacteria. Use
pasteurised egg (not ordinary eggs) in any food that will not be
cooked, or only lightly cooked e.g. mayonnaise and mousse.
Why?
Pasteurisation
also kills bacteria,which is why pasteurised egg is the safest
option.
Do
not use eggs after the ‘best
before’ date. Make sure you rotate stock and use
the oldest eggs first.
Why?
After
this date, there is a greater chance of harmful bacteria growing in
the eggs
Rice
When
you have cooked rice, make sure you keep it hot until serving or
chill it down as quickly as possible and then keep it in the fridge.
The problems tend to arise as rice is cooked in large batches,cooled
too slowly,then not reheated to 75ºC.
Why?
Rice
can contain spores of Bacillus
cereus
that may not be killed by cooking or reheating.
You
can make rice chill down more quickly by dividing it into smaller
portions, spreading it out on a clean tray, or running it under cold
water (make sure the water is clean and drinking quality).
Why?
If
cooked rice is left at room temperature, spores can multiply and
produce toxins that cause food poisoning. Reheating will not get rid
of these.
Pulses
Follow
the instructions on the packaging on how to soak and cook dried
pulses, such as beans.
Why?
Pulses
can contain natural toxins that could make people ill unless, they
are destroyed by the proper method of soaking and cooking. Save
yourself the hassle,get tinned pulses,they will have been soaked and
cooked already.
Shellfish
Make
sure you buy shellfish from a reputable supplier
Why?
If
you do not use a reputable supplier,you cannot be confident that
shellfish have been caught and handled safely. Crabs,
crayfish and lobster should be prepared by someone with specialist
knowledge.
Why?
Some
parts of these shellfish cannot be eaten and some are even
poisonous,so it is important to know how to remove these parts
safely.
Shellfish
such as prawns and scallops will change in colour and texture when
they are cooked. For example,prawns turn from blue-grey to pink and
scallops become milky white and firm. Langoustines (also called
scampi or Dublin Bay prawns) are pink when raw and the flesh becomes
firm and pink-white when they are cooked. If you use ready-cooked
(pink)prawns, serve them cold or reheat them until they are piping
hot all the way through.
Before
cooking mussels and clams,throw away any with open or damaged shells.
Why?
If
the shell is damaged or open before cooking, the shellfish might not
be safe to eat.
To
check that a mussel or clam is cooked, make sure the shell is open
and that the mussel or clam has shrunk inside the shell. If the shell
has not opened during cooking,throw it away.
Fish
Make
sure you buy fish from a reputable supplier. If you buy fresh fish
make sure you store it between 0°C
to 4°C.
If you buy frozen fish then keep it frozen at -18°
until you are ready to use it.
Why?
Certain
types of fish,such as mackerel,tuna,anchovies and herrings,can cause
food poisoning if not kept at the correct temperature.
Raw
chicken: Do not wash raw chicken
Do
not wash raw chicken,as splashing
water from washing chicken can spread campylobacter. Campylobacter is
the most common cause of food poisoning in the UK. Campylobacter
can be spread easily and just a few bacteria could cause illness.
This could come from raw or undercooked chicken, or from
contamination due to washing raw chicken. Campylobacter infections
typically cause abdominal pain and diarrhoea for between two and five
days.
Cover
raw chicken and store at the bottom of the fridge so juices cannot
drip on to other foods and contaminate them.
Thoroughly
wash and clean all utensils, chopping boards and surfaces used to
prepare raw chicken. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water,
after handling raw chicken. This helps stop the spread of
campylobacter by avoiding cross contamination.
Make
sure chicken is steaming hot all the way through before serving. Cut
in to the thickest part of the meat and check that it is steaming hot
with no pink meat and that the juices run clear. Thorough cooking to
75°C will kill any campylobacter present.
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