If food is not cooked, stored and handled properly, germs can be spread and people can quickly become ill. To ensure you keep your kitchen hygienically clean, follow these golden rules:
- Do not use tea towels to dry your hands.
- Do not sneeze or cough near food.
- Avoid preparing food for others if you are ill.
- Keep any cuts and sores on your hands covered while preparing food.
- Have separate chopping boards for raw meats and other foods, making them easier to clean.
- Ensure you clean chopping boards thoroughly after use.
- Wash hands thoroughly as soon as you have handled raw meat, to prevent the spread of germs.
- Clean work surfaces immediately after use.
- Disinfect cleaning cloths and dishcloths by soaking them overnight in a dilute solution of an appropriate disinfectant or bleach, rinse thoroughly in clean water and dry.
- Clean bins, taps and cupboard handles regularly.
- Always separate raw and ready-to-eat foods while shopping, preparing, and storing.
- Cook food thoroughly to kill any germs in it, and reheat food properly to kill any germs that have multiplied in it since it was cooked.
- Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared foods, and leftovers within two hours or sooner.