Raw Food Advice

It is this Department’s responsibility to ensure that food is stored safely and hygienically in food premises during routine food hygiene visits.
Your premises will normally be inspected by an Environmental Health Officer to assess compliance with the Food Hygiene Regulations (NI) 2006.

Cross Contamination

Separating raw and ready-to-eat foods is essential to prevent food poisoning bacteria from spreading.  Where possible, separate fridges should be used for storing raw and cooked food.  If they are in the same fridge, store raw meat/poultry/fish below ready-to-eat foods.  This helps to prevent food poisoning bacteria spreading from raw foods to ready-to-eat foods e.g. by blood dripping. 

It is important to keep food covered to help protect it from food poisoning bacteria and to protect it from physical contamination.  This is especially important for ready-to-eat food.  Suggested food coverings include kitchen foil, cling film, plastic boxes with lids or freezer bags.  All packaging should be food grade.

If you think that ready-to-eat food has not been kept separate from raw meat/poultry/fish, eggs or unprepared fruit/vegetables during storage throw away the food.
 

Preventing Cross Contamination

To protect ready-to-eat food from food poisoning bacteria:

• Keep ready-to-eat foods separate from raw meat/poultry/fish, eggs and unprepared fruit/vegetables.  This is to prevent food poisoning bacteria getting on to the ready-to-eat foods. Prepare raw meat/poultry/fish, eggs and unprepared fruit/vegetables in different areas from other foods. If this is not possible, separate by preparing them at different times and clean and disinfect thoroughly between tasks.

• Never use the same chopping board or knives for preparing raw meat/poultry/fish, unprepared fruit/vegetables and for ready-to-eat food (unless they have been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected in between). This helps to prevent food poisoning bacteria spreading from one food to another. This is especially important for ready-to-eat foods because they will not be cooked before serving.

• Staff should always wash their hands thoroughly before preparing food. If wearing gloves, the correct procedures should be followed.

What To Do If Things Go Wrong

• If you think that ready-to-eat food has not been kept separate from raw meat/poultry/fish, eggs and unprepared fruit/vegetables throw it away.

• If equipment/surfaces/utensils have been touched by raw meat/poultry, eggs and unprepared fruit/vegetables wash, disinfect and dry them to prevent food poisoning bacteria from spreading.

Preparing Vegetables And Salad Ingredients

The dirt on vegetables and salad ingredients can contain food poisoning bacteria.  When preparing vegetables and salad ingredients:

• Peel, trim, or remove the outer parts, as appropriate.
• Wash them thoroughly in clean drinking water (ideally in a separate sink).
• If you have prepared vegetables that have dirt or soil on the outside, clean and disinfect chopping boards and work surfaces before preparing other foods.

The service of raw and partially cooked foods presents a hazard, which cannot be fully controlled.
 

Foods Requiring Special Care During Handling

Foods such as oysters, beef carpaccio and sushi, which are eaten raw, require to be handled as carefully as ready-to-eat foods.  These foods however still present a contamination risk to other ready-to-eat foods.

These foods should be handled by someone with specialist knowledge.

These foods require to be stored and handled separately from both conventional raw foods such as raw meat and other ready-to-eat foods.

Downloads

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/keepingfoodsafe
http://www.food.gov.uk

Contact

Karen Phillips
Senior Environmental Health Officer
Food Control/Infectious Diseases

Genevieve McWilliams
Senior Environmental Health Officer
Food Control/Infectious Diseases