Quiz answers

Question 1

Q. Food poisoning you get at home is usually mild and not dangerous.

Answer: False

There's no reason to assume this at all. The bacteria that cause illness are the same whatever their source. You may just get a dose of vomiting and diarrhoea, but sometimes the consequences are much more serious. Spontaneous miscarriage, reactive arthritis, Guillain-Barré; syndrome (the most common cause of acute paralysis in both children and adults) and haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can lead to kidney failure and death can all be caused by foodborne infection.

Infants and children, the elderly, pregnant women, people with weak immune systems and those suffering chronic illness are most at risk. But a campylobacter infection can leave even a normal healthy adult very unwell for several weeks.

If you're sceptical - perhaps because you've never been made ill by food yourself - think of it like russian roulette. So far, the chamber has always been empty when it's your turn. But will it always be?

Question 2.

Q. As long as food looks, smells and tastes okay it is safe to eat.

Answer: False.

The bacteria that cause food to go off are not the same ones that cause food poisoning. In fact, most pathogenic bacteria leave food looking, smelling and tasting perfectly fine.

If food smells bad, that's a sure sign it has been kept for too long. But if it doesn't smell, don't assume it's fine. Treat all food as though it may have been contaminated. If it has been warm for more than a couple of hours, throw it out.

Question 3.

Q. Before preparing food you should:

Best answer: Wash your hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds then dry them well on a towel for a further 20 seconds (the 20+20 rule).

Drying your hands properly has been shown to reduce the transfer of bacteria from hands to food and utensils. Hands that have been washed but not dried can sometimes spread bacteria more effectively than hands that have not been washed at all. But the towel must be clean, which means frequently used hand towels in the kitchen and bathroom should be changed daily. If a clean towel is not available, use a paper towel.

Soap removes the transient bacteria which are usually the pathogenic ones. Ordinary soap is fine: despite the hype, there's no advantage in using anti-bacterial products.

Hands should be washed before preparing food; after handling raw meat or poultry, or vegetables that have soil on them; and before handling any ready-to-eat foods.

Hand washing is also vital after going to the toilet, gardening, handling pets or pet food, blowing your nose, handling your hair or touching your mouth.

Question 4.

Q. If you wash meat or poultry in running water before you cook it, you will wash away most of the bacteria.

Answer: False.

Some bacteria may be washed off, but this is not a reliable method of making meat safe to eat. You have to cook it thoroughly to kill bacteria.

Question 5.

Q. After using the chopping board for raw meat and before chopping salad vegetables, should you:

Answer: Scrub it with hot water and detergent.

If you don't thoroughly clean or change chopping boards (and knives and other utensils) between uses, bacteria can be transferred from raw meat to other foods and may cause illness.

Hot water and detergent will remove most bacteria but it is best to leave the board to dry before using it again. Drying should reduce the number of leftover bacteria. A quick wash under the tap or a wipe over with a cloth is not enough.

Most anti-bacterial cleaners need time to kill bacteria, so a quick wipe with one is likely to be less effective than a good wash with detergent and water. Also, many anti-bacterial agents are inactivated by organic matter, so the meat juices left on the board will prevent the cleaner from working.

For a more vigorous than usual clean, soak it in a weak solution of bleach at regular intervals.

It's best to have one chopping board for raw meat and one for foods that won't be cooked.

Question 6.

Q. When making a salad should you:

Answer: Wash all the vegetables every time.

Soil can contain pathogenic bacteria, and if you're not cooking the food, washing it is your only line of defence.

Question 7.

Q. When defrosting a chicken should you:

Answers: Defrost it in a watertight container in the fridge or Use the microwave.

Defrosting in the fridge takes a long time, but it's safer. With food thawed on the bench, the outside portion can reach room temperature long before the inside has thawed, and is susceptible to bacterial growth.

Microwave defrosting is the quick option, but you should cook the food straight after it has thawed, so it doesn't sit around at room temperature.

Cooking food from frozen may mean the middle will never reach a temperature high enough to kill bacteria.

Question 8.

Q. Which of these meats are safe to eat when rare or pink inside:

Answer: Leg of lamb.

Steak and a solid roast are the only meats you can eat pink or rare. The bacteria on the outside will be killed by the heat of searing in a pan or roasting in the oven.

However, with any meat that has been mixed or rolled up (such as sausages and mince, including hamburgers, and rolled roasts) the bacteria have had ample opportunity to get into the middle. If the meat is not cooked through, the bacteria will survive.

Poultry also commonly carry campylobacter and salmonella in their gut, which can contaminate the carcass during processing. Stuffing the chicken or turkey makes it harder for the middle to get hot enough to kill the bacteria, and also increases the chance of introducing new contamination in the stuffing. Cooling a stuffed chicken also takes longer.

As for chicken livers ... chicken is so often contaminated with campylobacter, it is unwise to eat any chicken product undercooked. Pink and just warm means unsafe.

Pork can contain parasites and bacteria that are only killed by thorough cooking.

Cook mince, hamburgers, chicken, pork and rolled meats right through. Use a meat thermometer to check temperatures. If you are barbecuing, precook these meats and finish them off on the barbecue straightaway.

Question 9.

Q. How long does it take for bacteria to double their numbers at warm temperatures?

Answer: Half an hour.

In ideal laboratory conditions (body temperature and moisture, with a food source) bacteria can double their numbers as quickly as every 20 minutes. They will be a bit slower at room temperature but still multiply very quickly.

Question 10.

Q. What is the best way to store leftovers?

Answer: Leave them on the bench to cool then put in the fridge.

Keeping food in the oven is a bit like advertising in the paper that you are going to have a party. The warm temperatures are perfect for bacterial growth.

Hot foods should not go straight into the fridge, because they will raise the temperature in the fridge and add to the risk of other foods deteriorating.

Leftovers should only be reheated once. If you don't finish food after it has been reheated, throw it out.

Question 11.

Q. When reheating or cooking food in the microwave should you:

Answer: Stop the microwave several times during cooking to stir the food, and allow it to stand before serving.

Microwaves tend to cook food unevenly, so stirring during cooking is always desirable. Standing times are important as they allow the heat to move right through the food without overcooking it.

Don't rely on bubbling: it may only mean that part of the food is hot enough to kill bacteria.

Question 12.

Q. Does freezing kill bacteria in food?

Answer: No.

Freezing stops bacteria from growing but generally does not kill them. As the food thaws the bacteria start to multiply again.

Leftovers should only be frozen and reheated once and thawed meats shouldn't be refrozen unless you cook them first. This is because, during cooling and thawing, foods can be at a temperature ideal for bacteria to grow. If you do these things several times for one food, it is likely to have been too warm for too long to be safe.

Question 13

Q. The temperature of your fridge should be:

Answer: Between 2°C and 4°C.

At less than 5°C, most bacterial growth won't be stopped, but it will be slowed. Newer fridges are likely to maintain their temperature, but if you have an old fridge it may be worth checking it with a fridge thermometer from your local hardware store. Poor seals will stop a fridge from maintaining its temperature, but they can be replaced.

Question 14.

Q. You are having a party and there is not enough room to put all the food in the fridge. Which foods would you leave out?

Answer: Fruit platter.

Warm fruit won't hurt you. All the other foods need to be kept cool, especially if they contain meat, fish, chicken or creamy ingredients or fillings. If you're short of room use slicker pads and chilly bins.

Question 15.

Q. How should you clean your dishcloth?

Answers:

• Soak it in bleach every 2 or 3 days, or
• Microwave it for a minute every day, or
• Wash it in hot water and detergent every few days.

You need to clean the dishcloth well and regularly. If you're microwaving the cloth, remember to damp it first.

Keep the dishcloth for "clean" jobs. Rinse off any food residue and hang it to dry after every use. Use paper towels to mop up meat juices, soil from the vegetables or other "dirty" spills.