Perth District Health Unit offers advice to keep you safe this summer.
Cooking and eating outdoors in the summer can increase the risk as the warmer weather can create ideal conditions for bacteria to grow. Foodborne illnesses can be prevented by following the steps of chill, clean, separate and cook.
Dan Singleton a Public Health Inspector at the Perth District Health Unit tells Heart FM some ways to minimize the risk.
"It's important to keep food that’s suppose to be cold, should be kept cold and food that needs to be cooked needs to be cooked to the right temperature, and there is really only one way to make sure it is cooked to the right temperature and that’s using a probe thermometer. In addition to those issues, keeping things clean."
He also explained how to thaw out meat in a safe way.
"So ideally meat should be thawed so that the outside of the meat is kept cool, below 4 degrees celsius. Otherwise, during the thawing processes the outside will kept warm and will move into a temperature range that bacteria can grow."
Contaminated water can also cause illness; some tips to remember is that water from lakes and rivers may be dangerous to drink, even when the water looks clean. Only use tap water from a clean, safe source or use bottled water for drinking, washing food and dishes, and for brushing teeth.
For more information about safety tips check out the Food Safety at Home Page on the Perth District Health Unit website.
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