Teaching Food Hygiene: Safety On The Syllabus
My friend's son refuses to eat eggs because they come out of chickens'
bottoms!
At the other end of the spectrum are students
who eat fortnight-old leftover baked beans from the tin and believe antibacterial
chopping boards will protect them from all ills.
Now Food Technology inhabits the place cookery
and domestic science once occupied in the curriculum, many parents are
concerned their children are growing up without learning the basics of
food hygiene and preparation.
What can you teach at home?
With many families relying on pre-packed
meals, the traditional way of learning how to handle food safely and sensibly
through experience is less common and schools have been forced to cut
back on practical cookery through lack of resources.
Let your children get involved in making family
meals. Little ones can help buttering bread and enjoy splashing about,
washing up safe, plastic items. By the time they're in their teens, some
children are better chefs than their parents - just think how nice it
will be to have dinner cooked for you!
Lessons in food hygiene
What are the most important points for
food hygiene in the kitchen? Set a good example and start teaching the
basics early. Follow these rules and even small children will soon be
learning by example:
- Always wash hands, with soap (water
alone will not do) before handling food, particularly if you have been
to the bathroom previously. Ensure that the rest of the family also
wash their hands.
- Store raw meat at the bottom of the fridge
where liquids can't drip onto other foods.
- Make sure meat and fish is thoroughly cooked
to destroy bacteria such as salmonella and parasites. Chilled cooked
foods, such as pre-prepared chicken, were recently found to have the
highest amounts of listeria and salmonella of all foods - these should
be heated until piping hot before serving.
- Small children are more susceptible to
salmonella poisoning so cook eggs until the yolks are hard.
- Never cut any food (bread, fruit, vegetables)
on a board that has had uncooked meat on it previously. Also use
separate knives.
- Scrub wooden chopping boards scrupulously
and let them air dry, and ideally use rigid plastic chopping boards.
- Defrost any foods from the freezer completely
and then heat until piping hot.
- Babies' bottles and feeding equipment
should be properly sterilised until your baby is 6 months old.
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