As the festive season fast approaches, Pembrokeshire’s food safety officers are urging people to take care when cooking their Christmas dinner.
The Council’s Public Protection Division is backing a list of tips issued by the Food Standards Agency Wales to ensure people have a healthy, as well as a happy Christmas.
“In all the planning for Christmas it’s important that food safety is not forgotten,” said Councillor Huw George, Cabinet Member for Environmental and Regulatory Services.
“The Christmas period provides certain challenges when it comes to avoiding food poisoning as people often cook for more people than normal,” he said.
“We would urge them to take note of the following tips issued by the Food Standards Agency in Wales to ensure everyone has a happy and healthy Christmas.”
The FSA says:
*Cold temperatures slow the growth of germs so make sure your fridge is running at the correct temperature – below 5°C – and is not overcrowded.
*To prevent cross-contamination, ensure that you store raw turkey (and other raw meat and poultry) separately from other food, covered and chilled on the bottom shelf of the fridge.
*If you are using a frozen turkey, make sure you check how long it will take to defrost safely using the turkey packaging instructions.
*To prevent the spread of food poisoning germs like campylobacter, make sure that you wash everything that has touched your raw turkey (e.g. hands and utensils) in soap and hot water.
*Don’t wash raw turkey under the tap as this can splash germs around the kitchen.
*Check the turkey is cooked thoroughly – there should be no pink meat in the thickest parts and it should be steaming hot with juices running clear.
*If you have leftovers, you should cool them, cover and ensure that they go in the fridge or freezer within 1-2 hours. If you have a lot of one type of food, splitting it into smaller portions will help it to cool quickly.
*Leftovers should be eaten or frozen within two days (one day for rice dishes).
*Make sure that when you come to use frozen leftovers, you defrost them thoroughly in the fridge overnight or in a microwave and then reheat until steaming hot.
The FSA has produced a downloadable festive meal planner which can help www.food.gov.uk/christmas
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