Ways to store food

•Cook food properly – to at least 75 °C or hotter.

•If you use a microwave, check that the food is cooked evenly throughout.

•Cook foods made from eggs thoroughly.

•Cool and store cooked food as soon as possible.

•Reheat food until steaming hot.

The way we cook our food is as important as the way we prepare and store it. Inadequate cooking is a common cause of food poisoning. Cross-contamination from raw to cooked foods, such as from hands, chopping boards or utensils, can also cause food poisoning. Most foods, especially meat, poultry, fish and eggs, should be cooked thoroughly to kill most types of food poisoning bacteria.

In general, food should be cooked to a temperature of at least 75 °C or hotter. When food is cooked, it should be eaten promptly, kept hotter than 60 °C, or cooled, covered and stored in the fridge or freezer.

Take special care with high-risk foods

Food poisoning bacteria can grow and multiply on some types of food more easily than others. High-risk foods include:

•raw and cooked meat - such as chicken and minced meat, and foods containing them, such as casseroles, curries and lasagne.

•dairy products - such as custard and dairy-based desserts like custard tarts and cheesecake.

•eggs and egg products - such as mousse

•smallgoods - such as ham and salami

•seafood - such as seafood salad, patties, fish balls, stews containing seafood and fish stock

•cooked rice and pasta

•prepared salads - such as coleslaws, pasta salads and rice salads

•prepared fruit salads

•ready-to-eat foods - such as sandwiches, rolls, and pizzas that contain any of the food above.

Food that comes in packages, cans and jars can become high-risk foods once opened, and should be handled and stored correctly.

Storing cooked food safely

When you have cooked food and want to cool it:

•Put hot food into shallow dishes or separate into smaller portions to help cool the food as quickly as possible.

•Don't put very hot food into the refrigerator. Wait until steam has stopped rising from the food before putting it in the fridge.

Choose strong, non-toxic food storage containers

Make sure your food storage containers are clean and in good condition, and only use them for storing food. Cover them with tight-fitting lids, foil or plastic film to minimise potential contamination. Transfer the contents of opened cans into suitable containers.

Store raw food separately from cooked food

Raw food and cooked food should be stored separately in the fridge. Bacteria from raw food can contaminate cold cooked food, and the bacteria can multiply to dangerous levels if the food is not cooked thoroughly again.

Always store raw food in sealed or covered containers at the bottom of the fridge. Keep raw foods below cooked foods, to avoid liquid such as meat juices dripping down and contaminating the cooked food.

Proper food storage helps to preserve the quality and nutritional value of the foods you purchase, and also helps make the most of your food dollar by preventing spoilage. Additionally, proper food storage can help prevent foodborne illnesses caused by harmful bacteria.

If in doubt, throw it out!

Throw out high-risk food left in the temperature danger zone for more than 4 hours - don't put it in the fridge and don't keep it for later. Check the use-by dates on food products and discard out-of-date food. If you are uncertain of the use-by date, throw it out.

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