Food safety in preschools

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1. Safe food preparation and cooking

Proper cooking and food handling reduce bacterial risks and ensure food is safe to eat.

When handling raw food, it is important to make sure that bacteria is not spread to other foods that are ready to eat. This is called 'cross-contamination' and is a major cause of food poisoning. You can prevent cross contamination by ensuring food is stored, prepared, and cooked in clean environments.

Cross-cross-contamination can happen in various ways:

• Direct cross-contamination: Raw meats touching ready-to-eat products.
• Indirect cross-contamination: Using the same knife or chopping board for raw meat and ready-to-eat food.
• Airborne cross-contamination: Sneezing or coughing over food.

Preventing cross-contamination during preparation

• Store raw and cooked food separately. 
• Wash hands thoroughly before and after handling raw ingredients.
• Use separate chopping boards and knives for raw and ready-to-eat foods.
• Clean work surfaces between handling different food types. 
• Store utensils and food containers properly to avoid cross-contact.
• Always cover foods stored in the fridge, and keep raw meat on the bottom shelf so that juices don't drip on other foods. 
• Wash food in a designated sink using clean water. 
• Minimise handling of food to reduce cross-contamination risks. 

Cooking and reheating guidelines

• Cook food to a minimum core temperature of 75°C to ensure bacteria are destroyed. 
• At times it may be necessary to reheat food. Reheat foods to a minimum core temperature of 70˚C to prevent any bacteria from surviving.
• Foods should only be reheated once following cooking or hot holding. However, it is safer to serve freshly cooked food, as surviving bacteria will not be able to multiply and cooking is the most effective medium for destroying bacteria.
•  Food must be cooled quickly after cooking to minimise bacterial multiplication. Large food products, for example a joint of meat, may take a long time to cool. To cool in the most hygienic of methods the product should be placed in a ventilated store for 90 minutes then chilled.

Temperature guidelines

It is a legal requirement to ensure food is cooked and stored at certain temperatures.

Measuring temperatures

In order to ensure that safe temperatures are being met, the following measuring devices can be used and it may be useful to record all temperatures.

• Hard probe thermometers must be calibrated and cleaned with hot water and detergent after use. Disinfect with anti-bacterial wipes before reuse.
• Infrared probe thermometers check surface temperatures but should be supplemented with a probe to check the core temperature.

2. Defrosting and freezing food

Defrosting safely

Frozen food must be thoroughly defrosted in a chiller, microwave, refrigerator, or specialist defrosting unit before cooking. 

Potential risks during defrosting:

• Bacterial multiplication during thawing. 
• Additional cross-contamination through improper handling. 
• Structural damage to food due to enzyme activity.

Preventing cross-cross-contamination during defrosting

• Always defrost raw meat and fish in a sealed container away from other foods. 
• Do not let raw juices come into contact with ready-to-eat food. 
• Wash hands and clean surfaces thoroughly after handling defrosted items.

Freezing best practices

• Wrap food properly or store it in sealed containers. 
• Freeze food in portions and label it with the date. 
• Allow air circulation in the freezer. 
• Store raw foods separately from cooked foods to avoid cross-cross-contamination.

3. Cleaning and hygiene

Regular cleaning of work surfaces, utensils, and storage areas is essential to prevent bacterial cross-contamination. Proper cleaning helps eliminate bacteria that may lead to cross-cross-contamination.

The 4 stages of cleaning

1. Pre-clean: Remove heavy soiling by sweeping, wiping, or rinsing.
2. Main clean: Use detergents to remove grease and dirt.
3. Rinse: Remove detergent and dirt.
4. Disinfection: Reduce bacteria to a safe level.

Preventing cross-cross-contamination through cleaning

• Use separate cleaning cloths for raw and cooked food preparation areas.
• Store cleaning equipment away from food. 
• Use sluice sinks with hot and cold water. Never wash food or utensils in a handwashing sink to avoid cross-contamination.
• Ensure proper ventilation in cleaning storage areas.
• Do not leave mops and cloths soaking overnight. 
• Clearly label cleaning chemicals.

Types of cleaning products

• Detergents – Remove grease and dirt but do not kill bacteria (e.g., soap, washing-up liquid). 
• Disinfectants – Reduce bacteria to a safe level using hot water (82°C or hotter), steam, or chemical disinfectants. 
• Sanitisers – Combined detergent and disinfectant.•
• Sterilants – Kill all bacteria.

Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using cleaning products to ensure effectiveness and safety.