Category Archives: Food Safety Management

FSA

The Platinum Jubilee Weekend takes place from 2 June to 5 June with lots of Big Lunches also taking place during this time. The bank holiday weekend will be a big celebration with many people attending and organising parties or gatherings in their local communities.

Whether you are attending a community party or hosting one of your own, it is important to be aware of food safety and hygiene. Below are some practical tips and advice on best practice so that everyone can trust the food they’re eating.

Selling food at a street party

You do not need a food hygiene training certificate to make and sell food for charity events. However, you need to make sure that you handle food safely.

Handling party food

Warm weather and outdoor cooking are the perfect conditions for bacteria to grow and there are risks when preparing and serving chilled food in these conditions.

Following the 4Cs of food hygiene will help you prepare, make and store food safely. You can do this by:

• cleaning effectively removes the bacteria on hands, equipment and surfaces. This helps to stop harmful bacteria and viruses from spreading onto food.
• chilling your food below 8 degrees will stop or significantly slow the growth of bacteria. This temperature must be maintained and foods that need to be chilled like sandwich fillings should not be left out of the fridge for more than four hours.
• cooking food correctly by following the guidance on time and temperature
• avoiding cross-contamination which might lead to bacteria passing from raw foods to ready-to-eat foods via things like re-usable shopping bags, knives and chopping boards.
• good personal hygiene is also essential when you’re preparing food. This will help ensure that bacteria you may have come into contact with isn’t passed to your friends, family and neighbours in their food.

If food isn’t handled properly people are at risk of food poisoning from:

• campylobacter – spreads through the cross-contamination from raw chicken
• listeria – is most commonly associated with chilled, ready-to-eat foods like cured meats, pre-prepared sandwiches and salads
• salmonella – is most often found in undercooked poultry, raw meat, eggs or unpasteurised milk
• E.coli – it is often found on raw and undercooked meats

Read our Providing food at community and charity events for specific advice about making and serving cakes at community events.

Our picnic advice contains more tips on how to keep food cold and safe.

If you are hosting a BBQ then please read our BBQ food safety information.

Bear in mind that on hot days you need to be extra vigilant.