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Because of consumer demand, preservatives have been removed from many pre-prepared food. This
together with the changes in shopping habits to a once-a-week shop, mean that safe handling and
storage of food is even more important than ever.
The following tips should help you to ensure that the food in your home is in as perfect condition as
possible.
■ Keep the freezer door closed as much as
possible.
■ Do not push food together too much, try to allow
air to circulate around each item.
■ Cool cooked food as quickly as possible but do
NOT place in the freezer until cool. (Leave food
in a cool place in order that it can then be placed
in the refrigerator as soon as possible).
■ Do not store food uncovered.
■ The best way to defrost food is to put it in the
refrigerator to thaw slowly.
■ Ensure that food placed in the freezer is dated
and labelled and used in date order to ensure
that food is consumed at its best.
■ It is important that food is used before its “best
before” date.
■ Always wash your hands with soapy water and
dry them with a clean towel before handling
food.
■ Keep work surfaces clean and avoid cross
contamination by not using the same work
surface or knife, without washing them
thoroughly in between.
■ The foods to be frozen must be fresh and of the
best quality.
■ The size of each pack should be small enough
to ensure that it is used in one go. Small packs
freeze more quickly and uniformly and give
better results.
■ Frozen food, once thawed, must not be
refrozen. Lean food keeps better and longer
than fatty food, salt reduces the storage time.
■ Wrap the food in polythene or aluminium
freezing bags or foil so that they adhere to the
food and provide an airlight seal.
■ Packaging which is swollen or has traces of
refrozen water droplets on the pack could
indicate that the product has not been kept at a
suitable temperature and that it may have lost its
original quality. Partially thawed food must not
be refrozen, it must be consumed within 24
hours. Never exceed the storage time indicated.
HEALTH AND SAFETY GUIDELINES
7
■ Never place hot food, bottles or cans of fizzy drink
in the freezer as they may explode. Containers
with a lid must not be filled to the brim.
■ Do not open the door or place extra fresh food in
the freezer next to food which is already frozen as
this could cause the temperature of the frozen
food to rise and its quality and storage life to
reduce.