Microbes come from many different origins (including food itself) and can be kept out of food by taking some basic, simple precautions:

Sources of Microbes	Prevention Techniques
Contaminated kitchen surfaces.	Ensure surfaces are kept clean; keep refuse containers clean and away from food being prepared.
Dust.	Keep surfaces clean.
Insects, rodents and pets.	Keep them away from food - particularly for dry foods kept outside of refrigerators or freezers, store in tightly sealed containers.
Dirty hands and dish cloths.	Wash regularly.
Raw foods.	Keep foods separate to prevent cross-contamination; carefully wash preparation surfaces and utensils between uses for different foods. Take particular care with surfaces and utensils used to prepare meat and poultry to prevent potential spread of salmonella.

Microbes become dangerous when permitted to multiply. In return, multiplication requires one or several conditions which good hygienic practices can eliminate:

Condition	Prevention Techniques
Presence of nutrients acting as food for microbes.	Keep preparation surfaces and utensils clean, particularly to prevent cross-contamination between food items.
Water: like all living things, microbes need water to live.	Keep storage areas and surfaces dry; prevent dry foods from becoming moist; avoid use of foods in damaged packages.
Temperature: Microbes multiply best at moderate temperatures.	Keep food frozen, cold or hot until eaten. Select frozen and chilled foods at the end of shopping; keep cool on the way home; place in home freezer or refrigerator as soon as possible. Monitor freezers and refrigerators to ensure they are kept at proper temperatures: 0-5°C for refrigerators, -18°C for freezers.
Time: Microbes need time to reach dangerous levels.	Observe "best before" and "use by" dates both in purchase and use of food products; carefully observe condition of food stored for long periods of time; keep leftovers only for short periods.

Even if microbes are present in raw foods and some food products, good hygienic practices can ensure they are eliminated before food is consumed. Many of these practices are part of industrial processing, but they must also be practised in the home and other venues where meals are prepared. It is important to recognise that techniques such as freezing and drying do not kill microbes but simply place them in a dormant state from which they can emerge to multiply once temperature or moisture returns to more 'appropriate' levels:

Inappropriate Preparation	Prevention Techniques
Inadequate cooking	Follow instructions on food packages and in recipes for time and temperature.
Improper use of cooking techniques.	Follow instructions for specific cooking techniques (e.g. microwaving, barbecuing).
Inadequate re-heating of leftovers.	Ensure leftovers are heated until "piping hot".
Consumption of raw foods.	Take extreme precautions with any foods to be eaten raw or undercooked, particularly meat, poultry and seafood.

10 TIPS 06/2006