FOOD SAFETY

Ten point plan for safer cooked meat production
Preparation
1. Clean and disinfect the raw meat preparation area before you start. This area must be separate from any area in which cooked meat is handled.
A detergent solution should be used to clean surfaces before they are disinfected. It is important to use the correct disinfectant for surfaces and equipment which will not adversely affect the food, and to use it at the appropriate concentration for the minimum specified time. For guidance on the use of disinfectants see point 9.
Wash your hands before and after handling the raw meat.
Cooking
2. To cook meat safely so that E.coli 0157, Salmonella and Listeria are killed, the centre of the meat must reach a core temperature of at least 70°c for 2 minutes or the equivalent temperature/time combination see 10). It is important that the juices run clear.
3. Make sure your cooking equipment can achieve this consistently.
4. The cooking process must be monitored. You should record the core temperature of at least one item for every cook using a probe thermometer. Wash and disinfect the probe thermometer after each use. Remember to check the accuracy of the thermometer regularly.
Cooling
5. The cooked product should be cooled as quickly as possible in order to prevent the growth of food poisoning bacteria and then kept under refrigeration. Remember the smaller the joint the quicker it cools.
Handling after cooking
6. Clean and disinfect the cooked product handling area, which must be separate from any area in which raw products are handled.
7. Always wash your hands before handling cooked products.
All equipment must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before and after use on cooked foods.
8. NEVER allow raw foods or any other product, used utensil or tool, or surface likely to cause contamination to come into contact with cooked foods.
REMEMBER THAT FOOD POINSONING FROM COOKED FOODS OFTEN OCCURS AS A RESULT OF CROSS-CONTAMINATION FROM RAW FOODS (DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY).
Help available
9. Your Trade Associations or Environmental Health Officer will be only too pleased to help you if you need any advice on the safe handling of foods, and on disinfectants. For safe and effective use of disinfectants always follow the manufacturers instructions very carefully.
10. EQUIVALENT CORE COOKING TIME/TEMPERATURE
Temperature Time
60°c 45 minutes
65°c 10 minutes
70°c 2 minutes
75°c 30 seconds
80°c 6 seconds