Some foods need to be treated with extra care to ensure that they are safe to eat.
Eggs
Can contain harmful bacteria and must be cooked thoroughly. Only used pasteurised egg in any food that will be lightly cooked or not cooked, e.g. mayonnaise and mousse. Do not use eggs after their best before date.
Shellfish
Always make sure you buy shellfish from a reputable supplier. Prawns and scallops will change in colour and texture when cooked. If you use ready cooked (pink) prawns in a hot dish, make sure they are reheated until they are piping hot all the way through.
Before cooking mussels or clams, dispose of any with open or damaged shells. If the shell has not opened during cooking, throw it away. Crabs, crayfish and lobster should be prepared by someone with specialist knowledge.
Rice
Always be aware of the high risk with rice. Rice can contain spores of a type of harmful bacteria which may not be killed by cooking or reheating. When you have cooked rice, make sure you keep it hot until serving, or chill it down as quickly as possible and then keep it in the fridge. You can make rice chill down quicker by dividing it into smaller portions or running it under cold water.
You need to be aware of the following bugs which can cause food poisioning:
Staphylococcus Aureus
Found in the nose of many healthy people and can also be carried on the skin. The bacteria can cause toxins in food if not properly handled and consumption of these toxins causes severe vomiting, abdominal cramps and sometimes diarrhoea, often within 2-6 hours of eating. Illness usually lasts from less than 12 hours to 2 days. This bug is particularly found in ready to eat foods such as cooked ham, seafoods and cream products.
Campylobacter
The most common type of bug and found mainly in poultry, red meat, unpasteurised milk and untreated water.
Clostridium Perfringens
Found in low numbers in many foods particularly meat and poultry.
Salmonella
Second most common cause of food poisoning, found in unpasteurised milk, eggs and raw egg products, meat and poultry. It can survive if food is not cooked properly and salmonella can grow in food and therefore will multiply if food isnt chilled. People infected with salmonella can infect other people.
Listeria
Present all around the environment usually causes illness in vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, babies, the elderly and people with reduced immunity.
E.coli 0157
Most strains of E.coli are harmless but those that produce verocytotoxin can cause severe illness. It is transmitted most commonly through undercooked minced beef and milk that is unpasteurised, inadequately pasteurised or contaminated after pasteurisation. It is also possible to become infected by direct contact with infected animals or people.
Fruit Flies
Fruit flies are attracted to unrefrigerated produce, drains, rubbish, empty bottles and cans, rubbish containers, mops and cleaning cloths. They are approximately 1/8 inch long, usually have red eyes, a tan front and a black rear portion of the body. They lay eggs near the food, their reproductive capability is enormous and they will lay approx. 500 eggs with a lifecycle of a week.
Food should be stored at the correct temperature at all times. Storage areas should be kept well ventilated. All drains, rubbish areas & cleaning materials must be kept clean and sanitised at all times.
Your actions:
If you would like safe methods on cooking specific foods, click here, or talk to your environmental health service.
