When preparing meals, on the way home in the middle of a heatwave or in the freezer, the risk of food poisoning is a daily occurrence. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to prevent them.
Food is no laughing matter! Bad habits, especially when it comes to hygiene, expose us to the risk offood poisoning, a real public health issue when you consider that 750,000 cases are recorded every year in France.
While some of them are linked to health scandals attributed to the food industry (such as Buitoni pizzas contaminated with E-Coli bacteria or Kinder eggs with traces of salmonella), a third of them take place within the family.
Everyday accidents that could be avoided with a few good reflexes.
Always clean hands and healthy cooking
Hygiene is essential to protect against the risk of food poisoning. So before handling food, it’s essential to wash your hands thoroughly (don’t forget to clean your fingernails!) and to cook in a clean area.
Regularly clean and disinfect your work surfaces, cupboards, sponges, dishcloths and crockery. And don’t touch food with your fingers, even if it’s just been washed: that’s what kitchen utensils are for!
A refrigerator at the right temperature
The maintenance of your refrigerator, which is susceptible to the proliferation of bacteria, must comply with certain strict hygiene rules.
First of all, don’t cram too much into it, and remember to defrost and clean it regularly (at least once a year if nothing has been spilled). If it does get dirty, disinfect it immediately).
To avoid altering its temperature (the coldest zone should be at 4°C), do not place hot preparations in it, as this may cause condensation which will raise its temperature and disrupt the cold chain.
Finally, keep food separate: vegetables on one side, and raw meat and fish on the other. When raw, these foods are covered with germs and can contaminate other foods.
Beware of fragile foods
Some foods are more fragile than others. The riskiest? Raw foods, a breeding ground for bacteria!
Be particularly vigilant with ground steak, raw milk products, oysters and sushi, which are not recommended for young children, the elderly, immunocompromised people or pregnant women.
Foods that are eaten raw must be stored in the freezer. For steaks that are eaten cooked, be sure to cook them properly to avoid illness.
Please note that food that has been defrosted can never be refrozen!
Eggs also require a great deal of care. As a reminder, they cannot be rinsed, and should be stored in a cupboard at room temperature rather than in the refrigerator.
Two different cutting boards
Although the cutting board has become a common sight in our kitchens, it is rarely used properly. In fact, to avoid any risk of contamination, we strongly recommend using two different boards, one reserved for vegetables and the other for meat and fish.