This year, to coincide with World Food Safety Day on 7th June 2025, New Zealand Food Safety have updated and reissued a booklet of simple tips for avoiding foodborne illness in the home.
From the store to your table, the 'Food safety at home' booklet is packed with science-based food-safety advice. It contains:
- The latest evidence-based recommendations for preparing, cooking, storing, and transporting food safely. Did you know: Handwashing is one of the best ways to prevent foodborne illness. Washing them before preparing or eating food helps prevent germs spreading to your food.
- Updated advice on handling and cooking raw meat and meat products; barbecuing and eating outdoors; keeping at-risk people safe; and how long you can keep leftovers. Did you know: You can keep leftovers for up to 4 days in the fridge if you are going to eat them hot. But leftovers of cooked meals you won’t be reheating – like pasta salad – should only be kept for 2 days.
- Dedicated sections on use-by and best-before dates and advice for shellfish gatherers. Did you know: If a food is past its use-by date, throw it away as it’s not safe to eat. But if it’s past its best-before and it smells and looks okay, it probably is. Check it, sniff it, taste it – don’t waste it.
You can review and download the booklet here