21/12/2007
A turkey's for christmas, not for life
Make sure your Christmas isn't a turkey by following some simple food safety steps.
Liverpool city council's environmental health team is giving out advice about how to safely cope with one of the most stressful parts of the festive period - cooking the traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings.
Councillor Berni Turner, executive member for the environment, said: "So many Christmases are ruined because everyone is so busy there can be a lapse in hygiene and as a result, people become ill.
"However, it's important to remember that most food poisoning incidents can be easily avoided by thinking and planning ahead.
"These food safety tips are straightforward and should be taken on board by anyone who plans on preparing festive feasts.
"We want to make sure that everyone in Liverpool has a fantastic Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year, so we hope that these tips will mean that the only thing residents have to worry about when it comes to their food, is their waistline!"
The environmental health team's advice for a healthy Christmas is:
· Take chilled and frozen food home quickly and put it in your fridge or freezer as soon as possible.
· Don't overstock your fridge or freezer.
· Wash your hands frequently, especially before preparing food and after touching raw food, coughing, sneezing or touching pets.
· Always serve food piping hot and keep cold food cold.
· Avoid re-heating foods more than once and leftovers should be kept no longer than two days.
· Keep your kitchen clean and disinfected.
· Check 'use by' dates.
· Frozen turkeys or other poultry needs to be defrosted before cooking.
· There's no need to wash your turkey - bacteria on the bird can splash onto worktops, dishes etc, and proper cooking will kill any bacteria.
· Don't stuff the bird - it's better to cook stuffing in a separate roasting tin. Nearly a third of Britons prepare their stuffing by placing it inside the turkey but this can mean the centre of the bird of the stuffing itself is not cooked properly.
· Make sure your turkey is properly cooked and follow the instructions on the packaging - the meat should not be pink and the juices should run clear when you pierce the turkey.
There is a 20 per cent increase in food poisoning incidents around the Christmas period.
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