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Keeping Food Safe!
It is important to follow food safety and hygiene practices to ensure safe food quality. Following five simple steps at home – Clean, Separate, Wash & Thaw, Cook, and Store – can help protect you and your loved ones from food poisoning.
(1) CLEAN: Personal and Equipment Hygiene
Wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before, during, and after preparing food, especially raw food and before handling cooked or ready-to-eat (RTE) food.
Wash utensils and countertops with hot, soapy water before and after food preparation.
(2) SEPARATE: Prevent cross contamination
Wash knives and cutting boards between raw and cooked food uses. Where possible, use separate cutting boards for them.
In fridge, store cooked and RTE food above raw food. Store raw meat, poultry and seafood (in enclosed plastic wrapper or on separate plates) at the lowest shelf to avoid juice dripping.
(3) WASH & THAW: Proper fruits and vegetables washing and Frozen items thawing
| Fruits | Wash under running water before eating, cutting or cooking to remove dirt and chemical residues. |
| Vegetables | Before eating and cooking:
Rinse for 30 seconds -> Soak for 15 minutes (in clean bowl) -> Final rinse |
| Frozen Items Thawing |
(1) Lowest shelf of fridge (2) In microwave oven (3) Submerge intact packaging in tap water and change water every 30 minutes. Thaw food based on required cooking amount and do not refreeze thaw food. |
(4) COOK: Cook to the right temperature
Cook food at high temperatures above 75 °C to kill harmful germs in food.
|
Food Category |
How to ensure thorough cooking? |
|
Chicken and poultry meat |
Internal flesh no longer pink |
|
Liquid food |
Cook to a complete boil |
|
Fish and seafood |
Check for a change in texture and colour |
Food can be reheated only once, reaching a temperature of 75°C for at least 2 minutes. Do not repeatedly reheat food for consumption over a few days.
(5) STORAGE: Proper cold food storage
Maintain fridge at 4 °C or below and freezer at -18 °C or below respectively. Ensure sufficient space in between items in freezer or fridge to encourage good air circulation.
Bacteria can multiply rapidly when food is left in Temperature Danger Zone (5 – 60 °C). Hence, all cooked food must be rapidly cooled and refrigerated or frozen within 2 hours after cooking, with proper cover and label to ensure freshness.
Reference
- Food Handler’s Handbook. National Environment Agency. July 2016.
- Food Safety Education – Good Food Safety Practices. Singapore Food Agency.
- Food Hygiene Practices & Guidelines. Singapore Food Agency.