Separate raw from 'ready to eat' foods at all stages of storage, preparation and serving.
Maintain good hygiene. Wash hands after sneezing, coughing, using the toilet, handling rubbish or smoking, and before and after handling food. Clean equipment and surfaces with hot soapy water and anti-bacterial spray. Wear clean clothing.
Minimise handling of food. Use tongs or utensils wherever possible.
Cook food thoroughly. Make sure that food is cooked thoroughly, especially meat and poultry. Eat promptly after cooking.
Store food safely. Use sealed containers, maintain cool storage, and dispose of waste regularly. Keep all packet foods in lidded containers.
Follow manufacturers' instructions. Always read packet labels for the safe storage and preparation of food. Always adhere to use-by dates.
1. Cooking
Cook high-risk food (for example poultry, burgers, and sausages) until piping hot. To check this, cut the food at the deepest point and make sure that the juices run clear, with no pink spots. Use a thermometer to check the temperature of thickest part (75 °C should be maintained for 30 seconds.)
Stir soups and stews regularly to make sure heat is distributed evenly so that it is cooked all the way through.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cooking food.
If food needs defrosting, follow the manufacturer’s instructions or defrost thoroughly in a fridge before cooking.
Make sure that food is only cooked, cooled and reheated once.
2. Cooling
Keep food requiring refrigeration below 8°C.
Make sure there are enough ice blocks available if using cool boxes.
Do not overstock fridges, allow enough space for air to circulate.
Check fridges are working correctly by using a thermometer.
Cool cooked foods rapidly (below 20° C in two hours). To aid cooling, split the portion sizes, spread the food on trays, or run it under cold water.
Serve cooked food as soon as possible. Cold food should be kept cold, and hot food should be kept hot. Food must not be left on display for more than 2 hours for hot food and 4 hours for cold food.
3. Cleaning
Use water and detergent to clean dirty equipment.
Clean surfaces before food preparation, as pests may have entered the camp kitchen overnight. Use a disinfectant spray and a clean cloth or paper towel.
Disinfect water carriers before use.
4. Cross Contamination
Follow good hand hygiene. Wash hands between handling raw and ready-to-eat food, after cleaning tasks, using the toilet, handling waste, touching your face and smoking.
Make sure hands are thoroughly cleaned. Alcohol hand gels can be used to are not a replacement for soap and water and do not remove allergens.
Use separate utensils for handling raw and ready-to-eat food (for example cooking burgers on a barbecue).
Store raw and ready-to-eat food separately.
Make sure there is sufficient space to prepare food. If space is limited, prepare raw and ready-to-eat foods at different times and clean the area thoroughly between uses.
Wear clean clothes and aprons when handling food to protect food.
Make sure food is protected from contamination (for example using lidded containers when storing and covers when serving).
Remove rubbish from food preparation areas and dispose of safely. Do not allow waste to accumulate.