Spoiler ALERT

Avoiding food poisoning is all about how you shop for, store and prep your food. Follow our guide to keeping contamination contained

SHOP

Head to the centre of the supermarket first and the aisles with perishables (dairy, meat, fish, eggs) last so those foods spend less time unrefrigerated and bacteria doesn’t grow. You can also surround refrigerator items in the trolley with frozen items to keep everything cold.

• Bag your meat and poultry separately. Place them at the bottom of the trolley away from other produce so the foods don’t come into contact with each other and the juices don’t contaminate other items.

• Place groceries in your car where there is air conditioning, rather than in the boot.

• Get home within two hours (sooner if it’s a very hot day) and refrigerate/freeze any perishables ASAP.

STORE

Keep meat on a plate on the lowest shelf in the refrigerator so juices don’t drip down and contaminate other foods.