Preparing, cooking and serving food GapFill

Food safety is about making sure that food is  tastyaffordablecookedsafe to eat. This means making sure that food handling areas are clean, that food handlers follow effective  socialpersonalstandardemotional hygiene procedures, food is hot enough to kill  bacteriaflavourfungiyeast, which can be achieved by cooking food for the correct length of time. Internal temperatures can be identified using a food temperature probe. Food should be eaten within its ‘use by’ date, cooked or reheated using the correct temperatures and chilled, frozen or thawed correctly.

There are various ways in which food may become contaminated with pathogens:

• other contaminated foods – for example, when a contaminated food comes into contact with another food; that’s why it is important to  keep foods in separate boxeskeep spaces between foods in the freezerkeep foods in open tinsvacuum-pack all foods and use separate chopping boards and knives when preparing foods, and separate spoons and thongs when cooking and serving them.
• work surfaces and equipment – bacteria are very small and we cannot see them with a naked eye; that’s why it is important to use separate tools and utensils, and wash and  disinfectwipepasteurisepurify them thoroughly before and after using. Equipment and utensils such as knives and chopping boards should be  numberlettercostcolour-coded to prevent cross-contamination. For example, only use a chopping board and knives that are  brownyellowredpink for raw meat and   pinkredgreenyellow for salads and fruit. This helps to prevent bacteria being transferred from raw food to  mediumaveragelowhigh-risk foods.
• the people cooking – bacteria can be easily transferred from the skin to the food, especially if the cook is not using gloves, and not washing their hands between preparing various foods; it is important to wash hands thoroughly before and after handling food (e.g. using the six-step washing technique), especially but also after using the toilet, after eating, after touching one’s face or hair, etc.
• pests – various animals from  mammalsbirdshumansinsects (cockroaches, flies, wasps, ants...) to rodents (mice, rats…) to birds and mammals can spread bacteria; to keep the food clean and hygienic, it is crucial to install window nets (to prevent bugs and birds from flying into the kitchen), keep the bins closed and clean them regularly (to prevent maggots infestation and to prevent flies from accessing the waste), and keep food stored in the correct conditions.
• waste food and rubbish – uneaten food and food scraps create a perfect environment for the bacteria to grow, as they are full of nutrients and they will not be cooked any more; to prevent bacteria from spreading, it is important to empty, clean and disinfect waste bins on a regular basis, and to keep them away from insects and pests (for example, by installing lids and storing them in a separate room).

Preserving food is a way to prepare ingredients by greatly extending their shelf-life, often through the application of  lowconstanthighboiling heat and the removal of  oxygenmethanenitrogencarbon dioxide from packaging, such as in canning, bottling or vacuum packing foods. Other preservation methods utilise techniques to reduce microorganisms' ability to reproduce by creating a hostile environment for them, such as   deliveringhydratingdesiccatingdehydrating food to remove moisture from them, or by pickling them in vinegar, as most microorganisms cannot reproduce in  liquidalkalineacidicneutral environments. 

When it comes to preventing spoilage, food wastage is also something to think about. Throwing food away because it has been contaminated and spoiled, due to poor hygiene or management of ingredients, has a financial and environmental impact. It wastes money if food is bought and then not used, and the billions of pounds of food that is wasted each year contributes to the production of  toxicgreenhousegreenwarming gases as it is disposed of in landfills and decays. Composting, reusing and re-purposing leftovers can reduce food wastage, help the environment and save money.