Christmas food safety

Avoiding foodborne illness at Christmas is easy if your remember the 4Cs of keeping food safe. Cook, clean, cover, chill are the actions to keep in mind when preparing and storing food for the Christmas festivities.

  

Take extra care to keep food safe at Christmas

There are a number of factors that increase the risk of foodborne illness at Christmas time. 

People tend to buy large quantities of food in advance of the holidays in preparation for their celebrations. We also tend to cook larger quantities of foods over Christmas, for family gatherings.

Storing leftover food after Christmas can lend itself to an increase in bacteria that cause foodborne illness, if it's not done properly. Summer is also a particularly hazardous time with food preparation often moving from the kitchen to the outdoors, for BBQs and picnics. Bacteria multiply faster on food in moist, warm conditions.

Preparing Christmas dinner

  

Buying
  • If you are buying fresh meat, like a fresh turkey, buy it as close to Christmas as possible, and store it in your fridge straight away.
  • If you are buying frozen meat, put it in the freezer without delay to ensure it stays frozen.
  
Storing
  • Use a fridge thermometer to check that your fridge is at the right temperature (between 1 and 4 degrees Celsius).  Overloading your fridge prevents the cold air from circulating properly.
  • Store raw meats at the bottom of the fridge so that their juices don't drip onto other foods.
  
Defrosting
  • Defrost meat thoroughly in the fridge, allowing at least 24 hours for every 4-5 lbs (2-2.5 kg) of weight.
  • Store any fully defrosted meat in the fridge, if you aren't going to use it straight away.
  
Cooking

No matter what you are preparing for Christmas dinner you should make sure that any meat is cooked thoroughly.

  • Use a food thermometer to check that the internal temperature has reached 75 degrees Celsius. At the very least ensure there is no pink meat left and that the juices run clear, not pink.
  • If you are cooking stuffing, the safest way to cook it is outside the meat/bird. If you prefer to cook it inside you should prepare it just before cooking, and stuff just the neck region not the whole cavity. Be careful not to overstuff the bird, and allow extra time for cooking. Take the extra weight of the stuffing into account when calculating the cooking time for your meat.
  
Leftovers
  • Take leftover meat off the bone, cut into small pieces, and store in a covered shallow dish and refrigerate within two hours of serving. Once refrigerated it should be eaten within three days.
  • Make sure re-heated food is steaming hot all the way through before eating.
  • Store any leftover gravy in the fridge, eat within two days and reheat until it starts to boil.

More food safety tips for Christmas

  • If you are preparing food for children, the frail elderly, someone who is ill or pregnant, keep in mind that these groups are more susceptible to foodborne illness than others. Extra care should be takein in preparing their food (especially with dairy products, eggs and seafood).
  • If you are travelling with food, hot food should be wrapped in foil and heavy towels or carried in insulated containers with hot packs. Cold foods should be transported in a cooler with ice, or freezer pack, so that the food remains at 4 degrees Celcius or lower.

The most common foodborne illnesses are caused by Norovirus, Salmonella and Campylobacteri. Food poisoning bacteria can contaminate all food so the 4Cs should be kept in mind even if you are not cooking meats.