Food safety and hygiene is of great importance for everyone’s health. A lot of responsibility concerning food hygiene falls on people who cook food for others.

One of the leading causes of death in developing countries is diarrhea due to spoiled food and contaminated water while in the developed world thousands of people go down with food poisoning each year.

 

Basic Food Hygiene Tips

Before handling food you should wash your hands and clean any surfaces the food will come in contact with. If you applied soaps or any cleaning agents make sure you rinse with a lot of water.

Certain foods require extra steps before they are ready to be prepared for serving or cooking. Fruits and vegetables must be thoroughly rinsed with water and in some cases gently rubbed to make sure there are no traces of dirt or chemicals.

Animal products such as raw meat, fish and egg yolk must be handled with extra care to avoid spoilage.

Any utensil and food container that has come to contact with raw food must be washed with warm or hot water and dish soap before using again.

Refrigerating and storing cooked and raw food that will not be immediately consumed is strongly advised. This will ensure that the food will be in the best possible condition for cooking and consumption next time it is used.