Christmas food safety checklist

Christmas can be a magical time of year, but not if you end up with food poisoning! There’s always a lot going on at this time of year and it’s easy to forget the importance of storing and preparing food safely. But none of us want to give – or get – the unwanted gift of food poisoning.

We tend to buy more than usual at Christmas, which often means cramming our fridge full of festive food. But did you know that the temperature of your fridge can rise when it's full which can allow food poisoning bacteria to grow? Your fridge should be between 0-5°C – a good stocking filler idea could be a fridge thermometer to keep you right.

We’ve created a checklist ☑ to remind you of some easy and common food safety practices to help reduce the risks of food poisoning.

Pre-Christmas

☐ Make a list of who is coming for dinner so that you can plan meals appropriately and cater for any food allergies or other dietary restrictions.

☐ Make a food plan for Christmas dinner and the few days after to make the most of leftovers. Check dates when shopping to plan meals and freeze food ahead of time. Follow all ‘Use By’ dates, especially in the days after Christmas even if it smells fine.

☐ Use food in the fridge/freezer to make room for the Christmas food shop.

☐ Check that your fridge is cold enough after the Christmas food shop has been put away (between 0-5°C).

☐ Take meat out of the freezer and defrost it on the bottom shelf of the fridge or a cool place. This is so that any juices can't drip on to ready-to-eat food as this could spread harmful germs. Allow 10-12 hours of defrost time per kg.

Christmas Eve

☐ Check safety information on food labels and our website before preparing dinner.

Christmas Day 

☐ Wash hands in warm, soapy water before and throughout dinner preparations, especially after handling raw meat.

☐ Remember not to wash raw poultry and other meat, as this can splash harmful bacteria around the kitchen.

☐ Use different utensils, plates and chopping boards for raw and ready to eat/cooked food, or wash thoroughly in hot, soapy water between tasks.

☐ Check meat is cooked – there should be no visible pink meat, juices are running clear and use a food thermometer to check meat reaches 75°C in the thickest part.

☐ Cook stuffing in a separate roasting tin. Stuffing inside the turkey will add more cooking time.

☐ Put leftovers in fridge within two hours, to be used within two days.

Boxing Day 

☐ If having a buffet, keep chilled foods out of fridge for the shortest time possible (no longer than four hours).

☐ Remember to eat your leftovers within two days of cooking or put them in the freezer. When reheating, only reheat once and ensure the food is steaming hot.