{University of Life} Food Safety Week’s Fridge Clinic

I’ve just been disabused of three facts ahead of Food Safety Week, and it has caused my world to tilt on it’s axis. It all started when we on holiday over Easter with friends. We mentioned that we had eaten leftover curry and they were appalled- something to do with rice being responsible for more cases of food poisoning than anything else. I dismissed it almost immediately: it’s rice, for goodness sake. How can it be more toxic than leftover salmon or undercooked chicken. Now I will be obliged to retract my scathing looks. Turns out they were right: ricecontains a bacteria which, when reheated and eaten, can lead to food poisoning.

Then there’s the classic Three Second Rule, known variously in my house as the Five Second Rule, the Twenty Second Rule and the Two Minute Rule. Apparently that’s an Old Wive’s Tale. Good news for our dog and not such good news for my girls who regularly end up with sausage on the floor whilst they are learning to chop their own food. Sausages are tricky, no?

Thirdly? You don’t have to wash chicken before you cook it. Excellent news.

But, whilst I am teaching my Girls to cook for the University of Life, it’s important that I right the wrongs and debunk the myths so that they are safe and healthy in the kitchen. There’s a great Kitchen Check pack on the Food Standard Agency website which helps teach children these very things and which includes the great game Where Should The Food Go? which shows kids how to store food safely in the fridge.

Which brings me to my fridge. Make no judgements, people. Needless to say I shall be tweeting @foodgov to see what they suggest on their #FridgeClinic!

 

Food Safety Week 2013 runs all this week from 10-16th June and you can find more information about it by clicking the links.