Note to users
WHO data indicate that only a small number of factors
related to food handling are responsible for a large proportion
of foodborne disease episodes everywhere. Common errors include:
- preparation of food several hours prior to consumption, combined
with its storage at temperatures which favour growth of pathogenic
bacteria and/or formation of toxins;
- insufficient cooking or reheating of food to reduce or eliminate
pathogens;
- cross contamination; and
- people with poor personal hygiene handling the food.
The Ten Golden Rules respond to these errors, offering
advice that can reduce the risk that foodborne pathogens will be
able to contaminate, to survive or to multiply.
Despite the universality of these causes, the plurality
of cultural settings means that the rules should be seen as a
model for the development of culture-specific educational remedies.
Users are therefore encouraged to adapt these rules
to bring home messages that are specific to food preparation habits
in a given cultural setting. Their power to change habitual practices
will be all the greater.
1. Choose foods processed for safety
While many foods, such as fruits and vegetables, are
best in their natural state, others simply are not safe unless they
have been processed. For example, always buy pasteurized as opposed
to raw milk and, if you have the choice, select fresh or frozen
poultry treated with ionizing radiation. When shopping, keep in
mind that food processing was invented to improve safety as well
as to prolong shelf-life. Certain foods eaten raw, such as lettuce,
need thorough washing.
2. Cook food thoroughly
Many raw foods, most notable poultry, meats, eggs
and unpasteurized milk, may be contaminated with disease-causing
organisms. Thorough cooking will kill the pathogens, but remember
that the temperature of all parts of the food must reach
at least 70 °C. If cooked chicken is still raw near the bone, put
it back in the oven until it's done - all the way through. Frozen
meat, fish, and poultry, must be thoroughly thawed before
cooking.
3. Eat cooked foods immediately
When cooked foods cool to room temperature, microbes
begin to proliferate. The longer the wait, the greater the risk.
To be on the safe side, eat cooked foods just as soon as they come
off the heat.
4. Store cooked foods carefully
If you must prepare foods in advance or want to keep
leftovers, be sure to store them under either hot (near or above
60 °C) or cool (near or below 10 °C) conditions. This rule is of
vital importance if you plan to store foods for more than four or
five hours. Foods for infants should preferably not be stored
at all. A common error, responsible for countless cases of foodborne
disease, is putting too large a quantity of warm food in the refrigerator.
In an overburdened refrigerator, cooked foods cannot cool to the
core as quickly as they must. When the centre of food remains warm
(above 10 °C) for too long, microbes thrive, quickly proliferating
to disease-causing levels.
5. Reheat cooked foods thoroughly
This is your best protection against microbes that
may have developed during storage (proper storage slows down microbial
growth but does not kill the organisms). Once again, thorough reheating
means that all parts of the food must reach at least 70 °C.
6. Avoid contact between raw foods and cooked
foods
Safely cooked food can become contaminated through
even the slightest contact with raw food. This cross-contamination
can be direct, as when raw poultry meat comes into contact with
cooked foods. It can also be more subtle. For example, don't prepare
a raw chicken and then use the same unwashed cutting board and knife
to carve the cooked bird. Doing so can reintroduce the disease-causing
organisms.
7. Wash hands repeatedly
Wash hands thoroughly before you start preparing food
and after every interruption - especially if you have to change
the baby or have been to the toilet. After preparing raw foods such
as fish, meat, or poultry, wash again before you start handling
other foods. And if you have an infection on your hand, be sure
to bandage or cover it before preparing food. Remember, too, that
household pets - dogs, cats, birds, and especially turtles - often
harbour dangerous pathogens that can pass from your hands into food.
8. Keep all kitchen surfaces meticulously
clean
Since foods are so easily contaminated, any surface
used for food preparation must be kept absolutely clean. Think of
every food scrap, crumb or spot as a potential reservoir of germs.
Cloths that come into contact with dishes and utensils should be
changed frequently and boiled before re-use. Separate cloths for
cleaning the floors also require frequent washing.
9. Protect foods from insects, rodents, and
other animals
Animals frequently carry pathogenic microorganisms
which cause foodborne disease. Storing foods in closed containers
is your best protection.
10. Use safe water
Safe water is just as important for food preparation
as for drinking. If you have any doubts about the water supply,
boil water before adding it to food or making ice for drinks. Be
especially careful with any water used to prepare an infant's meal.
The World Health Organization regards illness due
to contaminated food as one of the most widespread health problems
in the contemporary world. For infants, immunocompromised people,
pregnant women and the elderly, the consequences can be fatal. Protect
your family by following these basic rules. They will reduce the
risk of foodborne disease significantly.
If you have any comments, please send them to FOS
by clicking here: foodsafety@who.int.
