Make food safety a 'walk in the park' this summer

Thursday 7 June 2007

Planning a picnic, barbecue or camping trip this summer…? The Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland (FSANI) and safefood are urging people to 'keep food safe' following the findings from a recent survey which revealed that a third of people here are putting themselves at risk of food poisoning when eating outdoors.

More than 600 people across Northern Ireland were questioned about their food safety habits when eating outdoors, in a survey commissioned by safefood and FSANI to mark this year's National Food Safety Week (11-17 June).

Key findings of the survey highlighted a lack of knowledge on how to check that meat is properly cooked. In fact, more than a quarter of those questioned thought that meat and meat products were thoroughly cooked if they ‘looked, smelled or tasted ok'.

A third of those questioned also relied on their senses when deciding whether cooked meats or poultry left over from their trip were safe to bring home and eat - again, the decision was based on whether the food ‘looked, smelled or tasted ok’.

Dr David McCleery, safefood, explains the impact of these results: 'Eating outdoors is one of the great benefits of our summer months, but without proper kitchen facilities, keeping food safe can be a challenge. The foods that you take on picnics, barbecues and camping trips can be kept out of their usual storage conditions such as the fridge or freezer for long periods of time, but with some careful planning and preparation, any meal outdoors can be a safe, healthy and enjoyable experience.

'Perishable foods should be kept chilled in suitable cool boxes or containers and any perishable products that have warmed up should not be eaten and disposed of. It’s important to separate raw food from ready-to-eat food such as cooked foods, salads and breads. By placing raw meat in sealed containers and packing at the bottom of the cool bag, you can prevent meat juices from dripping onto other foods, and stop the spread of harmful germs.

'As well as storing food safely, it’s essential when cooking meat that has been minced, skewered or rolled such as burgers, sausages and kebabs, that it is thoroughly cooked and never served 'rare' or pink in the middle. With whole cuts of meat, e.g. steak, any harmful bacteria will live on the outside only and these cuts can be cooked to preference, e.g. 'rare'. But when meat is minced or chopped up, any bacteria present are moved around and these meats must be cooked thoroughly until they are piping hot all the way through to kill any bacteria that could cause food poisoning.

'To check that a burger or sausage is cooked thoroughly, cut into the middle with a clean knife and check that it is piping hot all the way through, there is no pink meat left and the juices run clear.'

Trevor Williamson, Head of General Food Hygiene at FSANI, says: 'Another important element to keep in mind when cooking food outside or picnicking is keeping your hands clean as well as any utensils you bring with you. Hands are a perfect way of spreading germs which may cause food poisoning so where possible you should wash them with soap and water or use handwipes/gels until you can use proper handwashing facilities.

'There are also many picnic locations in Northern Ireland which have beautiful streams or lakes nearby but you should never be tempted to drink from them. When you are on a picnic you should bring a supply of drinking water with you as these lovely lakes could contain lots of nasty germs which could make you ill.

'FSANI, in conjunction with safefood, the Environment and Heritage Service and the Environmental Health Service, has produced ‘Picnic’, a leaflet containing food safety tips for eating outdoors. This handy leaflet includes a guide to picnic destinations in Northern Ireland. We hope that people will have the opportunity to visit some of these great places to picnic but stay safe when eating outdoors this summer.'

Working in partnership with the 26 district councils, and the Environment and Heritage Service, this National Food Safety Week initiative is co-funded by safefood and the Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland (FSANI).

Free copies of the leaflet are available from local district councils, tourist information offices, Environment and Heritage sites, as well as from FSANI and safefood.

Anyone requiring further information about National Food Safety Week or additional leaflets should contact the safefood helpline on 0800 085 1683.

Food safety tips for outdoor eating

The four main things you need to think about for keeping food safe outdoors are:

Control the temperature
Take care with drinking water
Hand washing
Protecting food from contamination

Control the temperature

When we're outdoors, we can’t control the weather - but we can control the temperature of our food to make sure that harmful bugs do not grow causing food poisoning. The rules are simple - keep hot food hot and cold food cold.

Hot tips

It can be difficult keeping food hot (unless it fits in a flask). Keep it cold instead then heat it up when you're ready.

When reheating food make sure that it is piping hot all the way through (steaming)*. Don't reheat food more than once.
Always cook sausages, burgers, kebabs, pork and poultry thoroughly until they are piping hot right through with no pink meat left and the juices run clear. Just because meat on the barbecue turns crisp & brown on the outside, don’t assume it’s properly cooked inside.
Whole cuts of beef (e.g. steak) or lamb (e.g. chops) may be served ‘rare’ provided they are fully cooked/seared on the outside.

* Liquid dishes should be bubbling, stirring frequently.

Cool tips

Use a cool box/bag with enough ice packs to keep the food chilled. Frozen juice cartons make excellent ice packs. Leave foods in the fridge until the very last moment before you leave – then pack them immediately into the cool box/bag.
Keep the cool box/bag in the coolest part of the car away from direct sunlight e.g. in the boot.

When you arrive, keep the cool box/bag out of the sun and keep the lid closed as much as you can. Leave the food in it until you are ready to use it.

Take care with drinking water

Safe water is very important when eating outdoors because water is necessary for preparing and cooking food, cleaning utensils and hand washing.

Even when lakes and rivers look clean, the water may be unsafe to drink. Drink bottled water or tap water which is suitable for drinking. (Remember to clean your water bottles and containers after each use!)
Use only safe drinking water for washing food and dishes and brushing teeth.
If in doubt, you can purify water by boiling for one minute. If boiling is not possible, use water purification tablets and/or water filters. Follow manufacturer’s instructions carefully.

Hand washing

When handling food, proper hand washing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of the harmful bugs which cause food poisoning.

Before eating or drinking and after going to the toilet, touching raw meat and contact with animals, wash your hands thoroughly.
Bring soap for hand washing and make sure you dry your hands properly afterwards.
If you do not have safe clean water, bring antibacterial hand wipes or gels to clean your hands.

Protecting food from contamination

Bugs cannot move from place to place by themselves. They are easily spread to food by contact with surfaces or the ground, raw foods, dirty hands and dirty utensils/equipment.

Separate raw food from ready-to-eat food such as cooked food, salads, bread and sandwiches.
Place raw meat in sealed containers and pack at the bottom of the cool bag/box to keep their juices from dripping onto other food. Or better still, use separate cool box/bag for raw and ready-to-eat foods.
Use separate equipment, plates and utensils for raw and cooked/ready-to-eat foods including barbecued food.
Use clean utensils not hands for handling food where possible.
Do not allow food or utensils to touch the ground or other outdoor surfaces such as picnic benches.
Never put cooked food on a dish which has been used previously for raw foods unless it has been thoroughly cleaned.
Birds, insects and animals can be a source of food poisoning bugs so don’t leave food and equipment lying around.

When you are going home

When travelling home, if there is still ice left in the cool box/bag, and you are certain that the food has not been left out or warmed up, then your food should be safe.
If in doubt, throw it out.
Bag all your waste and either dispose of it responsibly in a waste bin or take it home.
Do not allow waste water to pollute streams or lakes. Take it to a designated waste water disposal point or if this is not possible, throw it out on dry ground.

Remember! The only thing you should leave behind are your footprints!

Notes to editors:

Over 600 people at 24 locations across Northern Ireland took part in the National Food Safety Week survey.

For further information please contact: Kathy Doyle or Leanne McCarroll at IAS SMARTS on 028 90395500

Communications,
Unit 10a-c Clarendon Road,
Belfast BT1 3BG
Telephone: 028 9041 7743
Mobile: 07884 473020
Fax: 028 9041 7725
Email: elaine.donaghy@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk

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Make food safety a 'walk in the park' this summer

Food safety tips for outdoor eating

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