Food Safety Tips: Clean

Clean
Good food hygiene starts with clean hands, but definitely doesn’t stop there. Washing hands thoroughly is key in helping prevent foodborne illnesses. But it’s equally important to make sure your cooking area and tools are clean too.

Knives, utensils and chopping boards need to be scrubbed between tasks and especially between preparing raw and ready-to-eat foods. Without a thorough clean, pathogens will transfer to food and you’ll be eating them too. Unclean chopping boards are a common way of transmitting bacteria and viruses. It is not important whether a chopping board is made from wood, plastic, glass or ceramic – what matters is how it is used and cleaned.

When working in the kitchen, remember to use dishcloths, hand towels and tea towels for the jobs they are meant for. Meat and poultry juice spills are best cleaned up with disposable paper towels then wipe with a cloth and hot, soapy water. If you use a dishcloth or sponge for this and then wipe the bench you’ll be spreading pathogens around.

Always clean dishcloths and tea towels regularly – it’s way too late when they start to smell. A good idea is to put a fresh dishcloth out every day and to change tea towels when they get wet. To get your dishcloths nice and clean, soak them in shallow water overnight with 5–10 drops of ordinary household bleach or put them through the hot wash cycle of the automatic dishwasher. A good launder and a day on the line exposed to wind and the sun’s ultraviolet rays will also do the job.

• Clean your hands by washing
them with warm water and soap and drying with a clean towel or paper towels.

• Always wash your hands before handling any food and after touching raw meat and poultry, going to the toilet, changing nappies, touching pets and doing gardening.

• Wash knives and other utensils and scrub chopping boards between preparing raw and cooked food.

• Keep your fridge clean.