Food safety and hygiene is a shared responsibility of everyone involved, from food producers, including the team here at Gourmet Fuel, to you as a consumer. Understanding the basic principles of food safety and hygiene is so important in order to avoid contamination at home, to prevent foodborne illnesses and to ensure that eating food remains an enjoyable experience!

These are some typical questions that you may have about how to ensure proper food safety and hygiene at home.

What’s the difference between use by and best before dates?

The main difference between best before and use by dates are that use-by is a "deadline" while best before is a "guideline" for when to consume your food by.

Use by date refers to food safety.  This date tells you when the food is no longer safe, you should never eat food after the use by date has passed. The use by date is only valid if the food is stored correctly, and packaging is sealed. Always check your food regularly and use up foods nearing their use by date or freeze them for later.

Best before is about food quality.  This date tells you when the quality of the meal will start to get worse such as loss of flavour or texture. The food will most likely still be safe to eat after the best before date. It's important to remember that the “best-before” date will only be valid if you store the food according to the instructions on the label. “Store in a cool dry place” or “Keep in the fridge once opened” are common storage instructions.

How do I store food safely?

• While some foods can be stored in a clean, dry cupboard or press, foods labelled with "keep refrigerated" or with use-by dates must be stored in the fridge. Storing in the fridge at -5 degrees Celsius slows down the growth of harmful microorganisms. 
• Make sure not to overpack your fridge and never put hot foods into the fridge as this will raise the fridge temperature. 
• If you have leftovers, put them into the fridge within two hours of cooking/heating and eat any leftovers within three days. 

What do I need to know about freezing food? 

• Freezing food delays spoilage and keeps food safe by slowing down the enzyme activity that causes food to go off and preventing the growth of microorganisms. 
• Freezing food is a great way to prevent waste at home and helps with meal planning. Freezing food also maintains the quality and nutritional value of most foods. 
• Your freezer should ideally be at 18 degrees Celsius.
• Do not freeze any foods after their “use by date” because they will be not safe to eat.
• Always cool foods before freezing. Avoid placing hot food directly into the freezer as it will raise the temperature of the freezer and may affect other foods being stored in there. 
• While food frozen correctly will stay safe indefinitely, always check the label instructions for advice on how long a food or meal can be frozen for in terms of optimum quality!

How do I defrost food correctly?

• Firstly, check the package before defrosting and always follow the manufacturer’s instructions on pre-packaged foods.
• Most food needs to be defrosted before you can cook them, including our Gourmet Fuel meals.
• The safest way to defrost food is in the fridge, ideally overnight.
• Once the food has been thawed cook or eat it within 24 hours. 
• You should never refreeze food that has been defrosted!

How do I reheat food safely?

• It's very important to reheat food correctly to kill any harmful bacteria that have grown since the food was cooked. 
• Follow the instructions on the food label for recommended reheating times. If you're reheating in an oven, always preheat it first. If you're reheating in a microwave make sure to stir it during the reheating time. 
• Always reheat food until it is hot throughout and check the centre of the meal is piping hot!

So there you have it. While food safety might not be the most exciting topics of conversation, its so important to ensure you understand the basic principles so that you can keep you and your family safe while enjoying healthy food.

If you have any questions on food safety and hygiene at home, don't hesitate to contact us!

• - consumers
• - food hygiene
• - food production
• - food safety