When you’re cooking for yourself or the people you care about, a few consistent habits make all the difference. Fresh fruit and veg, red meat, or poultry can all carry microorganisms that may cause illness. The good news: you can cut that risk dramatically with a handful of practical steps.

Think of food safety as four pillars: Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill. Master these, and you’ll store and serve food safely, every time.

1) Clean

• Wash your hands before handling food, during prep, and after touching different ingredients.

• After handling raw meat or poultry (fresh or frozen), wash hands, worktops, chopping boards, and utensils thoroughly with hot, soapy water.

• Clean your board between different raw meats or poultry. If in doubt, rewash.

2) Separate (Don’t Cross-Contaminate)

• Keep raw meats away from ready-to-eat foods at all times: in your trolley, shopping bags, kitchen, and fridge.

• Use one board for fruit and veg and a separate board for raw meat, poultry, and seafood.

• Don’t rinse raw poultry in the sink. It doesn’t kill bacteria and can spread juices around your sink, worktops, and onto ready-to-eat foods. The only thing that eliminates bacteria is proper cooking.

3) Cook

• Cook poultry thoroughly. All poultry should reach an internal temperature of at least 75°C.

• Colour can mislead. Use a food thermometer to confirm poultry has reached the safe minimum of 75°C.

• Serve within two hours of cooking. If you’re not eating straight away, cool it promptly and refrigerate.

• Take extra care when cooking for babies, older adults, and anyone with a weakened immune system.

• Dining out and the chicken is undercooked? Send it back to be cooked properly.

4) Chill

• At the shop, pick up poultry and other chilled meats last. Once home, refrigerate or freeze as soon as possible.

• After cooking, cool leftovers and refrigerate within two hours. Properly stored cooked poultry stays fresh for 2–3 days.

• Set your fridge to 4°C or below.

• Defrost frozen poultry in the fridge or in cold water, never on the counter.

• For barbecues and picnics, keep poultry chilled until it’s time to cook.

• Never put cooked chicken back on the same plate or board that held it raw.

• Marinating? Do it in the fridge and keep it to a maximum of two days.