Because of consumer demand, preservatives have been removed from many pre-prepared foods.This together with the changes in shopping habits to a once-a-week shop, mean that safe handling andstorage of food is even more important than ever.The following tips should help you to ensure thatthe food in your home is in as perfect conditionas possible.ï Keep the time between buying chilled food andplacing it in your fridge as short as possible. Testsshowed that the temperature of 1 litre of orangejuice rose to 22∞C in an hour between thesupermarket and home. It then took 11 hours to getdown to 7∞C in the refrigerator.ï Keep the refrigerator door closed as much aspossible.ï Do not push food together too much, try to allow airto circulate around each item.ï Cool cooked food as quickly as possible but doNOT place in the refrigerator until cool. (Leave foodin a cool place in order that it can then be placed inthe refrigerator as soon as possible).ï Do NOT mix raw and cooked meat, they must be inseparate containers. Take care not to let the meatjuices drip onto other food. If the meat does drip,remove everything and clean thoroughly.ï Do not store food uncovered.ï Remove suspect food from your refrigerator andclean the interior (see ìMaintenance andCleaningî).ï Never allow spillages to dry and harden.ï Store eggs in the egg rack provided in therefrigerator door. Discard any broken or chippedeggs.ï Regularly check the refrigerator door seal toensure that it is clean and free from debris.ï Always wash your hands with soapy water and drythem with a clean towel before handling food.ï Keep work surfaces clean and avoid crosscontamination by not using the same work surfaceor knife, without washing them thoroughly inbetween.Health and Safety Guidelines6