Food should be prepared, cooked, stored and handled correctly; otherwise your child could become ill with food poisoning, colds, flu and other conditions.
Good food hygiene means knowing how to avoid the spread of bacteria when cooking, preparing and storing food. Foods that aren’t cooked, stored and handled correctly can cause food poisioning and other conditions.
4 steps to food safety
There are four basic steps to food safety at home; these are known as the four Cs:
- Cleaning – making sure your hands, surfaces and equipment are clean before, during and after cooking
- Cooking – making sure food is cooked throughout to kill harmful bacteria
- Chilling – making sure foods are stored at the correct temperature to prevent growth of harmful bacteria
- Avoiding cross-contamination – preventing the spread of bacteria to surfaces and ready-to-eat food
Read more on preparing food safely on NHS UK
Read more on storing food safely on NHS UK
