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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 WeekFood Safety Week Logo

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