Safe food preparation, cooking, and storage at home

How to prevent food poisoning

Every year, around 200,000 New Zealanders get food poisoning. About half of these cases occur in homes just like yours. Food poisoning is caused by harmful germs in or on the food we eat. Campylobacter, Salmonella and Yersinia are the most common causes. You can help keep your family from getting sick by following the advice on this page.

Preparing, cooking, storing, and transporting food

The following tips will help prevent your family getting food poisoning.

Preparing food

Wash your hands with soap and dry well before handling, cooking, and eating food.
Wash chopping boards and kitchen tools in hot, soapy water and dry well after using with raw meat or seafood.
Use different chopping boards for raw meat, seafood, and ready-to-eat foods like salads and cheese.
Don't wash chicken or raw meat. Washing will spread bacteria in your kitchen and may contaminate other food.
Wash your hands after handling eggs.
Keep surfaces and kitchen utensils clean and dry before and after handling eggs.
Use clean eggs free from dirt, faecal matter, and cracks.

Cooking food

Ensure poultry, pork, processed and minced meat is cooked right through to kill harmful bacteria. Chicken and sausage juices should run clear and the meat should not be pink in the middle.
Eggs should be cooked until the white is completely firm, and the yolk begins to thicken.
Use a meat thermometer to check temperatures at the middle of the thickest part (where the temperature should be 75°C or more).
Defrost frozen foods thoroughly so they cook properly in the middle. Or, follow cooking instructions on labels or packaging that say you can cook the food directly from frozen.
Use one set of utensils for raw meat and chicken, and another set for cooked food. Put cooked items on a clean plate, not on the one that's been used for raw ingredients.
Check the use-by dates on food packaging. Don't buy, eat or drink once this date has passed.
If food is labelled with a best-before date, it's all right to eat the food after the date has passed, as long as the food is not showing signs that it's gone 'off'. Use your sense of smell, and look for signs of decay or mould. If in doubt, chuck it out.

Storing food

Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers within 2 hours – no food should be left at room temperature longer than that.
Keep eggs in the fridge after purchase.
Cool hot foods for up to 30 minutes in room temperature before refrigerating to prevent raising the temperature in the fridge.
Cool large portions of hot food by dividing into smaller containers (this helps the food to cool faster), then cover, and refrigerate.
When eating outdoors, keep chilled foods (like salads) in a chilly bag or bin with ice packs until needed.
Eat leftovers within 2 days.
When in doubt, chuck it out.

STORING FOOD IN YOUR FRIDGE

Most harmful bacteria cannot grow at low refrigeration temperatures. Set your fridge temperature between 2°C and 5°C and follow these tips.

Keep raw and cooked foods separate in the fridge.
Refrigerate raw meat on the bottom shelf, and keep it separate from cooked or other ready-to-eat foods.
Keep cooked food on a higher shelf than raw meat or chicken. This will prevent raw meat and chicken juices from dripping onto food that is ready-to-eat.
Keep your fridge clean, and don't overfill it. This can prevent cold air from circulating properly, which can affect the temperature of food inside the fridge.

Transporting food

Keep a chilly bag or bin in your car to transport chilled or frozen foods, and transfer them to the fridge or freezer as soon as you get home.
Use ice packs if you have long travel times after shopping or won’t be going home straight away.

Other food safety tips

Refer to other information for more tips to help you make sure your food is safe (it won’t make you sick) and suitable (the ingredients and condition are what you expect them to be).

How to handle raw meat safely and avoid cross-contamination

Safe barbecuing of food

Shopping with reusable bags and containers

Keeping lunch box food safe

Washing your hands before handling food

Food safety advice during bird flu outbreaks – Fact sheet [PDF, 303 KB]