Tips on barbecuing food safely

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Eat safely this summer

Summer is a time for enjoying barbecues - however, it is also a time when the risk of food poisoning increases - so follow some simple steps to stay safe.

When you're barbecuing, the biggest risk of food poisoning is from raw and undercooked meat, such as chicken, burgers, sausages and kebabs.

If you're barbecuing for lots of people, it may be simplest to cook the meat indoors and then just finish it off on the barbecue for added flavour.

Remember

• Always make sure that food is piping hot all the way through when you reheat items on the barbecue
• Wait until the charcoal is glowing red, with a powdery grey surface, before you start to cook.
• Make sure frozen food is properly thawed before you start to cook it
• Turn the food regularly and move it around the barbecue to cook it evenly
• Check that the centre of the food is piping hot
• Don't assume that if the meat is charred on the outside that it will be cooked properly on the inside - check the meat is not showing pink and any juices are running clear
• Keep any raw meat away from ready to eat food
• Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw meat
• Use separate untensils for raw and cooked meats
• Never put cooked food on a plate or surface that has been used for raw meat
• Keep raw meat in a sealed container away from ready to eat foods, such as burger buns and salads.
• Don't put raw meat products next to cooked or partially cooked meat on the barbecue
• Don't add sauce or marinade to cooked food if it has already been used with raw meat

Further information on barbecuing food safely is available on the Food Standards Agency website.

Last updated: 26 March 2009