Don't wash meat or poultry before cooking it - cooking kills the bacteria and washing it spreads the bacteria around the sink kitchen surfaces and taps
Proper cooking kills bacteria - unless food is piping hot all the way through it could make you or your family ill
Food poisoning cases double in the summer - cook your burgers, chicken and sausages until there is no pink meat left
Only a few bacteria in a piece of undercooked chicken can cause illness - cook it thoroughly and do not touch cooked meat with utensils or dishes that have touched raw meat
Many of us don't wash out hands properly - wet with warm water, use soap (preferably liquid soap), wash thoroughly including between your fingers and your thumbs, rinse, dry (preferably with a paper kitchen towel which you can use to turn off the tap)
Your fridge may be too warm - our fridges should be approximately 5oC. Food poisoning bacteria do not grow so fast when they are cold. Do you know how cold your fridge is? If not why not get a small thermometer from a hardware or cook shop? You might be surprised
Unwashed fruit and vegetables may carry deadly bacteria - wash fruit and vegetables before eating to remove harmful E.Coli and other bacteria
Use-by dates really do matter - particularly if your fridge is not cold enough. A food poisoning bacteria called Listeria will live quite happily in a cold environment, so keep foods for as short a time as possible.
