Let's feast safely at Christmas - tips for handling Christmas food

At Christmas time, food is often an important part of our festive moments. The refrigerators are filled with ingredients and the tables are overflowing with ready meals.

Safe cooking in the home kitchen means careful handling of raw materials and food, good personal hygiene and suitable tools for food preparation. There are a few hygiene rules in food handling and food preparation that you should keep in mind.

When you handle food with care, you can be sure of good food quality. Also keep work tools, kitchen cabinets and appliances clean.

Attached is a short checklist for safe eating at Christmas:

• Take care good hygiene, unbroken cold chain, proper handling and storage of food

• Always start food processing by washing your hands

• Hygienic work practices and a clean kitchen

• Store in the cold

• Cook ham and poultry to at least +75 degrees

• Eat the ham within a week

• Heat only as much as you can eat

• Heat boxed food to more than + 60 degreesn

The Finnish Food Safety Authority has made a funny instructional video about handling food:

Six simple tips to avoid food poisoning - YouTube