Food Poisoning Top Nine

Here are the nine most common causes of food poisoning.

1. Food prepared too long in advance and stored at room temperature instead of in a refrigerator
2. Cooling too slowly before refrigeration
3. Not thawing frozen foods for long enough (especially poultry)
4. Not keeping hot food hot enough; hot food should be kept above 63°C/145°F
5. Food handlers who are infected with food poisoning organisms (more on that later)
6. Incorrect use of leftovers
7. Cross-contamination from raw to cooked food
8. Not reheating food to a high enough temperature to destroy food poisoning bacteria; you can kill most bacteria at 70°C/160°F but some need as high as 130°C/265°F to kill them
9. Undercooking food can also cause problems. Fans of carpaccio and seared tuna, watch out! It’s a risk. One I am usually willing to take, though.

This is Chapter One, Part Four in a series of articles broadly similar to the course offered by the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health for its Food Hygiene Certificate.
Chapter Two: Bacteria
Return to the start of Chapter One