Recipe for food safety

Statistics show an increase in the number of family outbreaks of food poisoning. Contends that many handling techniques necessary to prevent outbreaks of food‐borne disease are unknown, misunderstood and not followed in the home. Some food preparation operations are more frequently implicated in outbreaks of food poisoning than others. Argues that instead of promoting general compliance with the food hygiene principles of good catering practice, the food safety educator should focus the attention of the consumer on those factors which are critical to safety of the product. Suggests that essential safe food handling techniques could be incorporated into recipes in magazines and cookery books which are used by many consumers. Presents a systematic approach to analysing recipes for potential hazards, based on the HACCP system;illustrates the approach with a relevant example.