Preventing food poisoning at home: cleaning, cooking, chilling and cross-contamination

What are the four Cs?

NHS inform describes four basic steps to food safety at home, known as the four Cs: cleaning, cooking, chilling and avoiding cross-contamination. The Food Standards Agency also lists cleaning, cooking, chilling and cross-contamination as the four core areas of good hygiene. Food Standards Scotland promotes the four Cs as a way to avoid campylobacter food poisoning.

How do hands and surfaces fit in?

The Food Standards Agency advises washing hands after handling raw meat, fish and poultry. NHS inform says hands, surfaces and equipment should be cleaned before, during and after cooking, and the Food Standards Agency says cloths and tea towels should be washed on a hot cycle and left to dry before they are used again. A Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust sheet advises washing fruit and vegetables before they are eaten. The Food Standards Agency says raw meat should not be washed, because water can splash bacteria onto hands, clothes, utensils and worktops. NHS inform gives the same advice about raw chicken: cooking it thoroughly kills germs, and rinsing risks spreading them.

What does cooking food thoroughly mean?

NHS inform says food should be cooked through so that harmful bacteria are killed. NHS inform says poultry, pork and offal should not be eaten pink. Food Standards Agency consumer messaging stresses reheating leftover food only once, and making sure it is steaming hot all the way through.

How do chilling and cross-contamination work?

NHS inform advises cooling cooked food and putting it in the fridge within two hours. Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust says leftovers should be eaten within two days. The Food Standards Agency says pre-packed food can be frozen up to midnight on its use-by date.

NHS inform describes cross-contamination as bacteria spreading from raw food to cooked food, utensils or surfaces. NHS inform advises separate boards and utensils for raw and ready-to-eat foods, and a Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust sheet advises storing raw meat in a sealed container on the bottom shelf of the fridge. The Food Standards Agency advises using separate chopping boards and utensils for raw meat and other foods where possible.

Who is at higher risk from some foods?

NHS pages on pregnancy and listeriosis list raw or runny eggs without the Lion stamp, pâté and ready-to-eat cold-smoked fish among the foods to take care with. The NHS says cold-smoked fish is safer if it is cooked until steaming hot.