City Council advice to ensure safe seasonal eating

(Date of issue: Monday, 8 December 2008)

Carlisle City Council is offering some festive food advice for local residents this Christmas.

Studies that show that 20% of food poisoning outbreaks are poultry related, with most cases occurring during December.

More than one in ten cook Christmas dinner for more than ten people. With so much food, some is served warm when it should be chilled; or too cool when it should be piping hot. Such actions can unwittingly result in food poisoning.

Carlisle City Council is helping to promote Foodlink’s 12 Top Turkey Christmas Tips:

1. Give your fridge and freezer a good clean before you stock up for Christmas. Make more space by using up sauces and pickles stored in the fridge (watch out for ‘best before’ dates though).
2. Don't overstock your fridge or freezer - it makes it difficult to maintain the right temperature. Food should be stored separately in covered containers and properly wrapped.
3. Wash your hands frequently - especially before preparing or touching food, and after touching raw food, coughing, sneezing or touching pets.
4. Frozen turkeys or other poultry must always be thawed thoroughly in a cool clean place (preferably the fridge) and fully before cooking. A 15lb turkey will take 24-28 hours to thaw in the fridge; allow over 2 days for a 25lb bird to defrost.
5. Do not rinse your poultry under the tap. This can splash harmful bacteria already on the bird around the kitchen, leading to the cross-contamination of other foods. Cooking will kill any bacteria present.
6. Use separate chopping boards and utensils or wash them thoroughly to avoid cross-contamination between raw meat, and any cooked or ready-to-eat foods.
7. Ideally, cook your stuffing separately, but if you feel you must stuff the bird, make sure you take the stuffing weight into account when calculating your cooking time.
8. Poultry, sausages and chopped and minced meat must always be thoroughly cooked - check to make sure there are no pink bits in the middle, that the juices run clear and that they are piping hot throughout.
9. Do not use raw eggs in food that will not be cooked - such as chocolate mousse or homemade mayonnaise – use pasteurised egg instead.
10. Always serve hot food piping hot and as soon as it is ready. If there is a delay between heating and eating then keep the food covered and at no less than 63°C.
11. Do not leave leftovers lying around - but make sure that hot food cools quickly before putting it in the fridge. To speed cooling: divide into smaller portions, place in shallow containers or stand in a tray of cold water.
12. Avoid re-heating food more than once - if you reheat leftovers make sure they’re piping hot throughout and don’t keep leftovers for more than two days.

You can get more festive food tips at www.eatwell.gov.uk