Food
Food must be safe to eat and prepared in a clean and hygienic
manner.
The Council carries out a number of activities to ensure that
food manufactured, prepared, processed, displayed and sold within
Broxbourne is safe to eat:
National Food Safety Week
This year Food Safety Week is 6 - 12 June
2011
Test your knowledge and put paid to those old food myths
with our quiz
What happens in the home?
Broxbourne Council environmental health officers will be
supporting the National Food Standards Agency theme which
encourages everyone to look at what they really do in their own
homes when preparing and cooking food and debunk some of those
common food hygiene myths like: why you really shouldn’t wash
poultry and why you shouldn’t eat food past its use by date.
The FSA have also asked some school councils in England to help
us find out what really goes on behind closed doors by recording
some food video diaries of what some real people actually do when
buying, storing, preparing and cooking food in their own
homes. We have found this to be an effective way of engaging
people in discussions about the rights and wrongs of food
hygiene.
We will be editing their diaries into a short video highlighting
particular food hygiene practices – both good and bad.
Practical actions that people can do for themselves in order to
reduce the risk of food poisoning, includes storing food correctly
by:
- keeping fridges at the correct temperature (below 5 degree
C)
- following the storage instructions on the label
- using food by its use-by date (understanding the difference
between 'best before' and 'use by')
Information is available on the Food Standards Agency's guidance
pages on storing
food and 'use-by
dates'.
Food businesses advised to use properly cooked eggs
Following an outbreak of salmonella poisoning connected to
Spanish eggs, the Borough of Broxbourne is repeating its
advice to caterers that only properly cooked or pasteurised egg
should be used.
The initial findings of an investigation by environmental health
officers have linked the outbreak to a cafe in west London, where
at least five people had eaten before being taken ill.
Spanish eggs from the premises were found to be contaminated
with two strains of Salmonella Enteritidis, both of which were
found in people taken ill.
The Council would like to emphasise the need for good
hygiene practice in the handling and use of eggs on catering
premises. It has long been known that some eggs may be contaminated
with the salmonella food poisoning bug.
Proper cooking of the egg will kill the bug.
If at all possible food businesses should use pasteurised egg,
rather than ordinary egg, in products that will not be cooked or
only lightly cooked before eating, as pasteurisation kills harmful
bacteria such as salmonella. In kitchens and food preparation areas
where ordinary eggs are being used, good food hygiene practices are
important to avoid the risk of cross-contamination.
More information on the safe use of eggs in catering
establishments can be seen by visiting the Food Standards Agency's
website.
Please contact the environmental health section on 01992
785511 for further information or email the Council on
envhealth@broxbourne.gov.uk