The departments of Public Heath and Environmental Health are asking people to follow the ‘Four Cs of food safety’, particularly when handling meat.
These are:
Cleaning
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Wash your hands before you prepare, cook, or eat food. Take some hand sanitiser with you to a picnic or barbecue to disinfect your hands before handling food
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Regularly clean work surfaces, utensils, and other kitchen items
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You should not wash raw meat
Chilling
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Chilling food properly helps stop harmful bacteria growing
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Keep chilled food out of the fridge for the shortest time possible during preparation
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Defrost your food thoroughly before cooking it. Food should be defrosted in the fridge
Cooking your food
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Make sure any meat you cook is steaming hot and cooked all the way through before serving
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Juices should run clear when meat is cooked through
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Burgers should not be served rare or pink
Avoiding cross-contamination
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Use different utensils for raw and cooked food
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Wash utensils and surfaces between tasks
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Wash your hands after touching raw food
Express has asked for the number of suspected food poisoning cases and is yet to receive a reply.