Ready-to-eat foods are foods that can be eaten without further preparation or cooking such as pre-prepared salads, take-aways and prepared sandwiches.
Ten easy steps to safe food…

1. Buy from reputable suppliers with clean premises.
2. Avoid spoiled foods, foods past their use-by dates or foods in damaged containers or packaging.
3. Take chilled, frozen, or hot foods straight home in insulated containers.
4. Keep raw foods and ready-to-eat foods separate.
5. Avoid high-risk foods left in the Temperature DangerZone for more than 4 hours.
6. Keep high-risk foods out of the Temperature DangerZone. Keep chilled foods cold at 5°C or colder and hot food hot at 60°C or hotter.
7. Thoroughly wash and dry hands when preparing food.
8. Use separate and clean utensils for raw foods and ready-to-eat foods.
9. Cook minced meats, poultry, fish and sausages thoroughly.
10. When in doubt, throw it out.

• Buy your chilled and frozen foods towards the end of your shopping trip.
• Hot chickens and other hot foods should also be purchased later in your trip and kept separate from cold food.

• Keep chilled food at 5°C or colder.
• Use a fridge thermometer to check the temperature in your fridge. The temperature should be below 5°C.
• Keep frozen food frozen solid.
• Keep the freezer temperature around -15°C to -18°C.
• Keep hot foods at 60°C or hotter.
• Throw out high-risk food left in the Temperature DangerZone formore than 4 hours.
• Consume high-risk food left in the Temperature DangerZone formore than 2 hours––don’t keep it for later.

Even if food producers and sellers have followed the food safety laws, the quality and safety of the food can sometimes be affected by how it is handled by you, the consumer.

Once you purchase food, the safety of that food also becomes your responsibility.

• Only buy from reputable suppliers with clean and tidy premises.
• Check use-by dates and labels, avoid food past its use-by dates.
• Check food labels for allergen and nutritional information.
• Avoid products in damaged, dented, swollen or leaking cans, containers or other packaging.
• Avoid food that seems spoiled, such as mouldy or discoloured products.
• Check that serving staff use separate tongs when handling separate food types.
• Only buy eggs in cartons that identify the supplier––avoid cracked or soiled eggs.
• Avoid high-risk chilled and frozen foods that have been left out of the fridge and freezer.
• Avoid hot foods that are not steaming hot.
• Avoid ready-to-eat foods left uncovered on counters.
• Prevent meat, chicken or fish juices leaking onto other products.

If you have serious concerns with the way food is handled, stored or prepared by a business, contact your local council health department.

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