If you are barbecuing or cooking up a Christmas feast over the festive season, Central Coast Local Health District is urging residents to prepare and handle food carefully to avoid getting sick.
“Salmonella typically doubles in the summer, compared with the winter months,” said district public health nutritionist Lesley Marshall.
“Christmas can be a time of higher risk for food poisoning because the weather is hot, the fridge is overloaded and we’re cooking for more people than we usually do.” she said.
Central Coast Local Health District states that following a few simple rules and using common sense will help ensure residents enjoy their festive feast without paying for it later.
One of the key messages Ms Marshall said was to “Keep it clean, keep it cold or keep it hot”. “Correct food temperatures are very important in the warmer months, especially for seafood, which is a popular Christmas lunch choice,” she said.
“It is very important to keep seafood at below 5°C to reduce the risk of food poisoning,” “Separate all raw and cooked foods so you are not using the same utensils or cutting boards for different foods and don’t let raw meat juices drip onto other foods,” Ms Marshall said.
Email, Dec 14, 2015
Lauren Nicholls, Central
Coast Local Health District