NHS Sefton wants to help reduce the nearly million cases of food borne illnesses in the UK which result in approximately 20,000 people hospitalised and 500 dying.

The majority of cases are caused by salmonella and campylobacter which increase during the summer months. NHS Sefton is supporting the Food Standards Agency’s Food Safety Week, Monday 7 June to 13 June, whose theme is “proper cooking and avoiding cross contamination.”

Dr Anjila Shah, NHS Sefton’s Public Health Specialist Registrar, said: “Here in Sefton we are encouraging everyone to store, prepare and cook food properly. During the summer month’s people are out and about having picnics and barbeques we aren’t trying to spoil their fun. We are just trying to encourage everyone not to put each other at risk of food poisoning. One thing we can all do is wash our hands thoroughly after going to the toilet before and after handling food and before eating then we would see a massive reduction in food poisoning and infections like norovirus. ”

The main rules for cooking and avoiding cross-contamination are:

• Do not keep food in the fridge for too long and always heed the use-by guidance
• Check fridges regularly and maintain them at temperatures lower than 5C
• Home freezers should be no warmer than -18C
• Store cooked and raw meat products separately in the fridge with cooked meats on a higher shelf than uncooked meats
• Ensure that meat and poultry are thoroughly defrosted before cooking
• Consume food within four hours of its removal from chilled storage
• Keep raw meat and poultry well away from produce that will not require cooking, such as bread and salad vegetables.
• Use separate knives and chopping boards for preparing raw and cooked products.
• Wash hands thoroughly before and after handling food and before eating. If at the beach or in the countryside, use hand wipes.
• Do not butter or eat bread or pick at salads after handling raw meat, unless you have thoroughly washed your hands in between.
• Ensure that raw meat and poultry, including bacon and sausages are properly cooked.
• If planning an al fresco meal, do not attempt to cook roasts or larger joints of meat on a barbecue because they will not cook thoroughly. It is much better to prepare larger products in an oven. Barbecues are for small portions only.
• Barbecues should be lit long enough before use to ensure that the grill is hot enough to cook the food through.
  
  For more information, please visit www.seftonpct.nhs.uk