We’re into December and for many of us that means planning ahead for the summer holidays. Along with the food requirements that entertaining friends and family brings, we also have to contend with the summer heat, and that means being extra careful when it comes to our food. Being more vigilant about best food practises in our hottest season ensures that not only do we enjoy a longer shelf life on our food products, but it ensures we all remain healthy too, because the last thing anyone wants while on holiday is to fall ill.
Best food practises cover four main areas:
- the cleaning
- separating
- cooking and
- correct chilling of food.
In practise this means ensuring that everything that touches your food is clean, from your hands to the cutting board; keeping foods separate to prevent cross-contamination; cooking everything to the minimum safe temperature – for most meat that means between 60° C and 70° C degrees Celsius; and keeping perishable food at the correct chilled temperature.
As leading suppliers of wholesale meat South Africa, N1 go to great lengths to ensure they meet the highest food safety standards and they understand how important the chilling aspect of that process is. Bacteria flourishes in warmer weather and for those of us without the benefit of huge freezer rooms, there are a few simple things we can also do to ensure that our food stays safe and healthy.
- The first seems obvious we know – put perishable food in the fridge as soon as possible. But sometimes we shop en route to running another errand and the food ends up spending more time in the car than it should.
- The maximum amount of time food should be out is two hours, if it’s particularly hot then one hour is the limit – and keep high-risk items in the air-conditioned part of your car and not in the boot.
- When it comes to your fridge, ensure it stays at or below 4.4° C. Leftovers should go into the fridge or freezer within two hours at the most, and should be kept for no more than three to four days.
- When packing your fridge, remember that the door is the warmest part so should ideally be kept for food that doesn’t spoil easily – interesting then how most of us keep our milk there.
- The bottom shelves are the coldest so this is where you should store your raw meat, but be sure to keep it in its sealed packaging and away from other foods to prevent the chances of bacteria spreading.
- And last but not least, be sure to adhere to the sell-by dates on all products, but particularly ready-to-eat foods that don’t require cooking as these are more prone to spoiling. If you’re stacking food items, keep those with the shortest shelf-life at the top and those with the longest to go at the bottom, that way you reduce the chance of any wastage.
Simple, but effective tips to keep in mind all year round, but particularly during the hot summer months. Something else to remember all year round is that N1 – leading supplier of wholesale meat Western Cape – offer the best in Halaal certified meat and other non-Halaal food products, so be sure to contact them today for products that meet the highest food safety standards.
