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Tips on keeping food safe
Getting sick from a foodborne illness is avoidable. Reduce your risk of getting sick by following our easy tips.
Food safety at home is important
There are an estimated 119,000 cases of foodborne illness in New Zealand each year. Forty percent of these happen because people have not handled food safely at home. That’s about 48,000 people getting sick from a foodborne illness they caused, or one caused by someone they know.
Keep good food hygiene standards
Clean, Cook, Cover, Chill – follow the 4 C’s to keep food safe.
Learn more about the 4 C’s [NZ Foodsafe Partnership]
Wash your hands before preparing food
Follow the 20+20 hand-washing rule to ensure your hands are clean. Do this before and after you handle food.
Learn more about the 20+20 hand-washing rule [NZ Foodsafe Partnership]
Be extra careful with higher risk foods
Treat higher risk foods with extra care when preparing, cooking and storing them. Some examples of higher risk foods are some types of meat, seafood, rice and potato flakes.
Learn more about the higher risk foods
Refrigerate and reheat the food you take home
The food you buy may be safe, but what happens after you buy it is important too. If you don’t eat it immediately, put it into the refrigerator or freezer or a chilly bag.
Food safety for takeaway food, leftovers and doggy bags
Chilly bags are the cool way to shop
Store your food safely – follow the manufacturers instructions
Storing food safely is important to avoid getting sick from a foodborne illness.
• Freeze food you don’t eat straight away
• Read and follow the storage instructions on packaged food eg ‘Refrigerate after opening’
• Throw away expired food. Packaged food has a date mark that tells you when the shelf life expires
• Carefully wash and dry all food storage containers before use
How to freeze and thaw food safely
Storage instructions and date marking on food labels
Care and re-use of plastic bottles
Take extra care with food safety at large gatherings
Safe food handling is important when preparing, cooking and storing food for large gatherings. For example, cooking a hangi or umu and preparing food for Christmas dinner.
How to prepare and cook a hangi safely
UMU Pasifika – food Safety for Pacific Peoples
Cooking safely with slow cookers and crock pots
Keep your food safe in warm weather
Bacteria are able to multiply more quickly in moist, warm conditions. The risk from foodborne illness due to contaminated food is much greater in summer.
Learn more about keeping your food safe in summer
Keep your food safe during power cuts, floods and other emergencies
Normal household services such as water supply, waste disposal (including sewerage) and electricity supply may be unavailable during floods, or other disasters.
Food and water are easily contaminated and loss of electricity means food may also spoil quickly. It is important you avoid getting sick from eating contaminated food and drinking contaminated water.
Keep food safe during emergencies
How to prepare food when water is unsafe
Related links
Foodborne illnesses – what they are and how you can avoid them
Reduce your risk from foodborne illness – when you have low immunity or you are pregnant
The perceptions of New Zealanders on food safety issues
New Zealand Food Safety Authority
68-86 Jervois Quay
PO Box 2835
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Phone: +64 4 894 2500
Fax: +64 4 894 2501
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