05/05/2023 - Permalink

Planning a Coronation party? Be food safe this bank holiday weekend

Related topics: Health / Uncategorized

Are you hosting a celebration for The King’s Coronation? This weekend’s festivities are a great opportunity to enjoy a party with family and friends, and we might be lucky enough to see some sunshine for some of the time, too.

However, warm weather and outdoor cooking can be the perfect conditions for bacteria to grow, which can pose a risk to the health of you and your guests. Food poisoning is more than just a passing ‘tummy bug’ and can be very serious. 

Vegetables and meat skewers on a barbecue

Follow the five steps to safer food this Coronation weekend

While food safety is a shared responsibility, individual consumers and food handlers play a huge role in preventing foodborne diseases. 

There are 5 key principles to handling food which can help prevent the spread of food poisoning to others. 

Five-steps-to-safer-food-WHO  

  1. Keep clean – Wash your hands, surfaces and utensils often
  2. Separate raw and cooked –  Raw foods can spread germs to ready-to-eat food unless you keep them separate.
  3. Cook thoroughly – Food is safely cooked when the internal temperature gets high enough to kill germs
  4. Keep food at safe temperatures – Handle and store, frozen, cooked and perishable food for the right time and temperature. Keep it cool or keep it hot.
  5. Use clean water and raw materials – Use clean water, foods processed for safety, in date and stored correctly, wash fresh food and vegetables especially if eaten raw.

You may have food left that can be eaten another day. If so, cover and cool cooked foods quickly at room temperature. Place them in a fridge or cool bag within one to two hours, especially on hot days. 

You should look to consume the leftovers from a barbecue within 48 hours. If you’re reheating anything, only reheat it once and make sure it’s steaming hot before serving. 

You can also freeze thoroughly cooked leftover food. Love Food Hate Waste  have more information on freezing leftovers, including recipe ideas. 

While we should all try and avoid food waste where possible, don’t risk food poisoning if you’re in any doubt about the safety of your food. 

For further guidance please visit BBQ Safety – Food standards agency https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/bbq-food-safety