Food Safety
How cool is your lunch box?
If you
prepare food at home for a lunchbox it will need to be kept
cool until it is eaten in order to prevent the growth of
bacteria. If food is prepared the night before it should be stored
in a refrigerator overnight. It is advisable to store the
lunch box in a refrigerator until it is eaten, however many
schools and employers do not provide refrigeration space for
lunch boxes. If a frozen ice pack is put in
the lunchbox in the morning, it will keep the food cool and
safe until lunchtime.
The former Congleton Borough Council was awarded third
place in the national communicating food safety awards for the
work done in schools on lunch boxes. In April 2008 over 1000
children in primary schools within the former Congleton
Borough were given an ice pack (100gram) by Environmental Health to
keep their lunch boxes cool and safe. See more information
in the downloadable Eatwell Guidance for
Lunchboxes leaflet (PDF, 1.62MB).
FREE bookmarks which outline advice on how to live a healthier
lifestyle are available from Council information centres and the
local libraries.
Serving food in village halls or other community buildings
If you or your caterer are serving more than tea, coffee and
biscuits to the public, for example hot food or buffet meals, you
may like to know how to prevent causing food poisoning for
your guests. For more information download the
leaflet Are you
serving food in a community building? (PDF, 242KB) which gives
you advice and guidance on what you or your caterer need to
do before and during the preparation of food.
Food Safety Week
Food
Safety Week is in June and is an annual event
that promotes the importance of good food hygiene in the home
through a range of local events taking place across the UK in
schools, community groups and local councils. The campaign aims to
combat the rise in food poisoning cases, which double during the
summer months and cost the economy, in England and Wales, upwards
of £1.5 billion a year.
Previous Food Safety Week events have included a
stall at Sandbach Market with free information for the
public, a hand washing demonstaration at The Cheshire Show,
Barbeque food safety information in Butchers shops and
giving talks on food hygiene to local school pupils and other
local groups.
Food Safety at Christmas
Advice on how to prepare food safely at Christmas has been
published by Frank Foodlink, in order to help ensure your
Christmas is free from food poisoning.The
information leaflet - Food Safety at Christmas
(PDF, 277KB) can be downloaded here or you could pick up a
copy in any of the butchers shops within the Congleton
area. For further tips visit the Food Standards Agency website
seasonal food safety section.
Further Information
