Storing and handling food

Bacteria can spread when food is handled poorly. This includes preparing food while sick, not washing your hands, or touching other food, kitchen equipment or surfaces after handling raw meat. 

To stop the spread of bacteria

Do not wash raw chicken meat as it will splash harmful bacteria (Campylobacter) all over your kitchen surfaces and contaminate your ready to eat foods. To remove any excess liquid, dab it with disposable paper towel. Throw out the used paper towels immediately.

Clean

• Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water:
  • before handling food
  • between handling raw and cooked food
  • after going to the toilet.
• Avoid using bare hands to touch food. Use tongs, forks and spoons where possible.
• Always clean and sanitise kitchen surfaces and utensils, especially after handling raw meats. Sanitiser kills bacteria, while detergents only remove dirt and grease.
• Wash fruits and vegetables before cutting, especially if eaten raw.
• Use safe, drinking water when preparing food and cleaning.
• Use paper towels where possible. Dishcloths and towels can carry bacteria.
• Protect food preparation areas and food from pests, insects and pets.

Separate

• Use separate cutting boards and knives for each type of food, for example raw meat, fish, vegetables and cooked foods.
• Keep raw meat, poultry, eggs and seafood separate to prevent cross-contamination.
• Read more on cleaning and keeping food separate.

Read more on cleaning and keeping food separate.

Storage

• Cover food as soon as possible after preparing, serving or eating. This protects it from flies, dust, insects and sneezes. Use a clean cover such as plastic, aluminium wrap or fly nets.
• Do not overload the fridge, freezer or esky. Overloading your fridge and freezer with too much food means your food won’t chill below 5°C. Keep low risk items such as cool drinks, alcohol and water in eskies to free up fridge space.
• Store raw meats away from other foods. Always store raw chicken and other raw meats in a sealed container on the bottom shelf of the fridge. This stops any raw juice dripping down onto other foods.
• Prevent spills and leaks when storing raw chicken meat. The liquid from raw chicken meat contains high concentrations of harmful bacteria (Campylobacter) that will make you sick. Store it in a sealed container if possible. Clean and sanitise any spills in the fridge and dispose of any contaminated ready-to-eat foods.

Keeping food chilled after serving

• Keep food chilled after serving. Food should be stored below 5°C. Return perishable foods to a fridge or esky as soon as possible. This temperature should be below 5°C.

Read more about chilling food.

If you need to bring food to a gathering, it is important to transport it at a safe temperature. This prevents harmful bacteria growing.

• Keep cold food cold. Transport and store high risk foods (raw meat, seafood, dairy products and other perishable foods) in a:
  • car fridge below 5°C.
  • esky with plenty of ice or ice bricks.
• Check the temperature is cool and restock ice if needed.
• Be extra careful with raw seafood. If collecting seafood from the shops, you should transport it with ice or ice bricks in an esky and put it in the fridge as soon as you get home.

• Defrost chicken, turkey and other meats in the fridge, or microwave set to defrost.
• Do not defrost food on the kitchen bench or in the sink. This can increase bacteria growth in foods as they defrost.

• Cook chicken to at least 75°C to kill off any harmful bacteria on the meat. Use a kitchen thermometer if possible.
• When preparing raw chicken to cook , do not let raw chicken juices drip onto your kitchen surfaces and food. These juices carry high levels of harmful bacteria (Campylobacter) that can make you sick.
• Heat roasts, stews, casseroles, soups and curries to above 60°C.
• Cool sliced meats, desserts, dairy products, sandwiches and salads to below 5°C.

Read more about cooking and reheating.

• Raw meat, seafood, chicken, and eggs are high risk foods because they can contain harmful bacteria. Always keep raw and cooked items separate during storage and preparation to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
• Make sure you chill cooked ham, chicken, turkey in the fridge within 2 hours after serving.

Chicken and turkey

• Do not wash raw chicken as can splash harmful bacteria (Campylobacter) around your kitchen. This increases the potential for harmful bacterial to contaminate other foods. To remove excess chicken juices, dab it with disposable paper towel. Throw out the used paper towel immediately.
• Always store raw chicken in a sealed container on the bottom shelf of the fridge. This stops any raw juice dripping down onto other foods.

Cooking chicken

• Check the temperature when cooking chicken and turkey. Use a thermometer if possible – aim for at least 75°C in the thickest part of the meat to make sure it is cooked all the way through.
• When cooking chicken make sure the juices run clear.

Read more about safe handling of chicken.

After you have served and eaten food it is important to remember how long the food has been left out of the fridge or freezer.

• Follow the 2 hour and 4 hour rule.
  • Food left out for less than 2 hours is safe to put back in the refrigerator to eat later.
  • If food has been left out between 2 and 4 hours, use the food immediately. Do not refrigerate it.
  • If it has been more than 4 hours, throw the food out.
• If in doubt, throw it out.

• Put leftovers in the fridge within 2 hours of serving. The sooner the better.
• If you’re sending “doggie bags” home with guests or are saving them for yourself, leftovers should be refrigerated as soon as possible.
• Keep leftovers in small, airtight containers and freeze or eat within 2-3 days.