Staying safe whilst having fun in the sun

With the sun shining, it’s a great time to have a barbeque in your garden.

The council’s Environmental Health Officers have some top tips to help you have a great time, including food safety advice and ensuring you’re safe in the sun.

Always ensure you are abiding by the Welsh Government’s rules on meeting others and social distancing.

When preparing food follow the four C’s of food hygiene:

• chilling
• cooking
• cross-contamination
• cleaning

Chilling:

• defrost food overnight in the fridge or use a microwave on the defrost setting directly before cooking
• store raw foods separately from ready-to-eat foods, covered on the bottom shelf of your fridge
• keep any food with a use-by date, cooked dishes, salads and ready-to-eat desserts chilled and out of the sun until serving time
• don’t overfill the fridge, this allows air to circulate and maintains the set temperature. Use a fridge thermometer to check the temperature is below 5°C
• cool any leftover cooked foods quickly at room temperature and then place in the fridge within one to two hours

Cooking:

Charred on the outside doesn’t always mean cooked on the inside. Before serving meat cooked on the barbecue (especially minced meat products such as burgers and sausages as well as chicken and pork), always check that:

• the meat is steaming hot throughout
• there is no pink meat visible when you cut into the thickest part
• meat juices run clear

Consider cooking meat and meat products in an oven first, then giving it a final finish on the barbecue to ensure the meat is cooked all the way through.

Cross Contamination:

Prevent cross contamination by:

• storing raw meat separately from ready-to-eat foods
• using different utensils, plates and chopping boards for raw and cooked food
• washing your hands after touching raw meat and before you handle ready-to-eat food

Cleaning:

• wash hands thoroughly with soap and hot water before cooking and eating, especially when handling raw meat
• keep utensils and serving dishes clean when preparing food and ensuring you don’t mix those used to prepare raw and ready-to-eat dishes
• never washing raw chicken or any other meat – it just splashes germs onto your hands, utensils and worktops

Follow these tips to ensure the BBQ goes safely:

Do:

• Follow the safety instructions provided with disposable barbecues.
• Make sure the barbeque is well away from sheds, fences, trees, or garden waste
• Use enough charcoal to cover the base of the barbeque but no more
• Consider the effect of strong winds when positioning and lighting your barbeque,
• Keep children, pets and garden games away from the cooking area
• Keep a bucket of water, sand or garden hose nearby for emergencies
• Enjoy yourself, but don’t drink alcohol when in charge of the barbecue
• Allow a barbeque to cool for 24 hours prior to storing

Don’t:

• Leave a lit barbecue unattended
• Use a barbecue indoors or in a tent
• Empty ashes into dustbins or wheelie bins, if hot they can cause a fire
• Use petrol or paraffin to start or revive your barbeque

Always remember to stay safe in the sun – use sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 and where possible go for broad-spectrum sunscreens, which protect against harmful UVA and UVB rays – and stay hydrated. The average person needs to drink between 1.5 to 2 litres of water each day – that’s around 8 to 10 glasses.