Latest news with #Safefood
Irish Examiner
26-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Safety first when it comes to firing up the barbecue
Is there anything more joyful than the aroma of a sizzling barbecue wafting through your neighbourhood on a sunny summer's day? It's that time of year when we dust off our BBQs and cook up some summer vibes with food, family and fun. While enjoying your time outdoors, it is important to keep on top of your BBQ food safety. To help guide you through this summer season, Safefood has all you need to know to cook with confidence on the BBQ. Take a quick read through the Safe2Eat advice, a major EU-wide campaign empowering consumers with science-backed food safety information to make smarter, safer food choices. To highlight the need for safety while enjoying the BBQ weather, Ireland has launched Safe2Eat, part of a major EU-wide campaign empowering consumers with science-backed food safety information to make smarter, safer food choices. Led by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Safe2Eat has expanded from 18 to 23 countries in 2025, with Safefood representing Ireland as part of this growing European initiative. Here is a recipe for 'Citrus summer chicken' that is sure to be a hit. Just follow the preparation steps for a delicious, safe and healthy outdoor treat. Citrus summer chicken Zing up your chicken for the BBQ with this easy marinade. Marinades are a great way to introduce flavour to meats without adding a lot of extra calories. Servings 4 Preparation Time 60 mins Cooking Time 30 mins Total Time 1 hours 30 mins Course Main Ingredients 4 chicken breasts Zest and juice of 1 orange Zest and juice of ½ lime 1-inch of fresh ginger 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed 1 tablespoon of olive oil Small bunch of coriander, chopped Freshly ground black pepper, to taste Method Place the zest and juice of the orange and lime in a bowl. Peel the ginger, grate it finely and add it to the bowl along with the garlic Whisk in the olive oil and then stir in the chopped coriander and black pepper Using a large knife chop each breast in half. Add to the marinade and make sure that each portion is well coated Cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour. For a better flavour marinate the chicken overnight Cook the chicken over a hot barbeque for 25 to 30 minutes, turning it frequently and basting the meat with the marinade Barbeque meats must be cooked thoroughly to protect yourself and others from food poisoning. If you have a meat thermometer, take the chicken off the heat and insert the thermometer in the thickest part. The chicken is ready when the thermometer reaches 75 degrees. Trish Twohig, director of food safety with Safefood, says: "As someone who works year-round to promote safe food practices, I'm proud that we at Safefood are supporting Safe2Eat — a major EU-wide campaign led by the European Food Safety Authority that empowers consumers with science-backed food safety information. "Through this and beyond, we're here to help ensure your guests are in safe hands every time you serve. Below are the most common mistakes I see every year at summer BBQs, and what you can do to avoid them." Clean your BBQ before you start First things first — give your BBQ grill a good clean. Do this by scrubbing the metal rack of your BBQ with an oven cleaner or a damp brush dipped in bread soda. Always rinse with hot soapy water afterwards. Light your barbecue well in advance. If you are using a charcoal BBQ, the flames should have died down before you start cooking. Defrost frozen foods the night before If you plan on having any frozen food, make sure they are fully thawed before you start cooking. Do this by defrosting them the night before on a plate on the bottom shelf of your fridge. Keep them there until you are ready to cook. If you are on the go, keep them in a cool box until you are ready to cook. Cook your BBQ meat thoroughly BBQ foods like chicken, burgers, sausages and kebabs must be cooked thoroughly to protect yourself and others from food poisoning. You will know when your food is well cooked when it is piping hot, has no visible pink bits and the juices run clear. Using a meat thermometer will help check that meat is safe to eat. To use a meat thermometer, take your food off the heat and insert a clean thermometer probe into the thickest part of the meat or poultry, checking that the temperature reaches 75°. Make sure to clean your meat thermometer between uses with hot soapy water or a disposable disinfectant wipe. Steaks on a BBQ can be cooked to preference as harmful bacteria are on the outside only and not in the centre. Store your side dishes in the fridge If you are serving any side dishes, like salads or coleslaw, keep them in the fridge until you need them. Same goes for any sauces you plan on having. Store these foods on the top shelf of your fridge away from any raw food. Update your grilling techniques When cooking on the BBQ, turn food regularly while also moving it around on the grill. This ensures all sides are cooked evenly. When cooking, try not to cook the food too close to the coal. This will prevent charring of your food. Stay clean to avoid cross-contamination Keep your hands, utensils and surfaces clean to help avoid cross-contamination. Wash your hands regularly with hot soapy water before and after handling food. Always use different utensils, like spatulas or tongs, when handling raw and fresh food. Clean as you go by washing surfaces and chopping boards with hot soapy water. Store and use your BBQ leftovers As you start to pack up your BBQ, take leftovers inside to cool as you don't want to leave them outside in direct sunlight or where insects could get at them. Any leftovers should be covered and allow to cool completely before putting them into your fridge. Leftovers should be in the fridge within two hours of cooking and used within three days. When reheating BBQ leftovers, only do it once and until they are piping hot. If you are unsure about the safety of any leftovers, throw them out. For more information on how to BBQ safely this summer, visit
Irish Independent
13-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Bill to ban sale of energy drinks to children to be debated in the Seanad
It is currently at the discretion of shops if they sell energy drinks to minors or not, but new legislation would prohibit their sale to anyone under the age of 18 due to concerns around their health impacts. The bill, which targets energy drinks with more than 150mg of caffeine per litre or drinks with more than 80mg of caffeine per litre in addition to substances like taurine which 'may stimulate the central nervous system', would also include restrictions on advertising the drinks to under-18s. Ads for the drinks would not be allowed near a school, youth club or at other venues attended by children under the legislation, while product packaging would also need to carry a warning of the 'adverse effects to a person's health of excessive consumption or use of stimulant drinks'. 'This legislation is necessary as it addresses the growing public health concerns surrounding the widespread availability and consumption of stimulant drinks, commonly known as energy drinks, among children and adolescents,' said Senator Sharon Keogan, who co-sponsored the bill alongside senators Diarmuid Wilson, Rónán Mullen and Sarah O'Reilly. "These beverages, which are often high in not only caffeine and sugar but also other stimulants such as taurine, have been linked to adverse health effects, including sleep disturbances, increased anxiety, and cardiovascular issues in young people.' One 500ml energy drink can contain up to 14 level tablespoons of sugar or the equivalent of three cups of espresso, according to research conducted by health body Safefood. It comes as a commitment was made in the Programme for Government to 'explore restrictions on the sale of high caffeine energy drinks, including a ban on their sale to children'. The Irish Heart Foundation has been among those who have lobbied for a ban on the sale of energy drinks to children, including measures such as health warnings and restrictions on marketing and price promotions. A plan to prohibit the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16s was also among the Labour Party's election promises in the UK last year. A number of European countries have already taken steps to prohibit the sale of drinks to energy drinks to minors, including Lithuania, which introduced a ban on their sale to under-18s in 2014, and Poland, which implemented strict regulations last year. Ms Keogan said such bans have resulted in 'significant drops in the consumption of stimulant drinks among minors'.
RTÉ News
03-05-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
Planning a BBQ? Check out these 5 food safety tips first
Trish Twohig, Director of Food Safety with Safefood, shares five important BBQ safety tips. Whether you're a seasoned host or just someone who loves to fire up the barbecue, there are some essential rules you should never ignore when handling food safely in summer. As someone who works year-round to promote safe food practices, I'm proud that we at Safefood are supporting Safe2Eat — a major EU-wide campaign led by the European Food Safety Authority that empowers consumers with science-backed food safety information. Through this and beyond, we're here to help ensure your guests are in safe hands every time you serve. These are the most common mistakes I see every year at summer BBQs, and what you can do to avoid them. 1. Clean equipment If you're digging out the barbecue for the first time in a long time, be sure to give it a clean. Grease and old food residue can linger on your grill from last summer. Give the metal rack a good scrub with oven cleaner or a damp brush dipped in baking soda. Rinse it thoroughly with hot, soapy water. A clean grill helps reduce contamination risks and ensures your food tastes great and cooks evenly. And give it a clean before you tidy it away. It's easier to clean when it's warm or cooling down than when the residue is baked onto it! 2. Timings and leftovers One of the many food safety challenges in summer is keeping perishable food at safe temperatures. When entertaining guests, we might want to serve little bites or snacks while they wait for the burger or hot dog to be served. But when showing up to a barbecue, I never want to see salads or dips sitting in the sun. When food is sitting outside in the sun, the direct sunlight and warmer temperatures are ideal for harmful germs to grow quickly. My tips would be to: Keep perishable foods like salads, coleslaw and dips in the fridge until just before serving. Use cool boxes with ice packs to transport and store chilled foods if you're not serving them immediately. Keep raw meat chilled until you are ready to grill. Don't leave it sitting out while you are lighting your barbecue. And who doesn't love leftovers? Once everyone's had their fill, pack up any leftovers quickly. Leaving them on the garden table isn't just an invitation for bacteria to multiply, but insects, too. Cover any leftovers and let them cool in the kitchen. Do this within two hours of cooking. Eat them within three days then it's time to throw them out. If you want to reheat them, do so until it is piping hot and only reheat them once. If I have any doubts about a leftover and its safety, I play it safe and throw it out! No leftover is worth the risk of food poisoning. 3. Prep your food When planning a BBQ, I always prep the food I am cooking beforehand. That includes any frozen food. Cooking frozen meat straight from the freezer is a guaranteed way to end up with a raw centre and burned edges. Always fully defrost meat before grilling. It should be done on a plate covered overnight, on the bottom shelf of the fridge. This helps prevent any drips that could contaminate other foods. And when you are cooking meat on the barbecue, make sure the grill is ready. When using a charcoal BBQ, light it well in advance. You may want to throw on your burgers or sausages as soon as you see the flames, but don't. Wait until the flames have died down before you start grilling. It allows for even and safer cooking. 4. Avoid cross-contamination Cross-contamination is one of the most common causes of food poisoning at BBQs. Raw meat juices contain harmful bacteria that can easily spread if you're not careful. There are simple but effective ways to stop the spread of bacteria. When having a barbecue, make sure to always: Use separate utensils, plates, and cutting boards for raw and cooked meat. Wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling food. Never place cooked meat back on a plate that holds raw meat. Keep ready-to-eat items like salads, dips, and sauces well away from raw meat. I would recommend doing a check of your fridge before you do your shop for your barbecue. When storing food in the fridge for a barbecue, it can be difficult to organise foods separately and safely. So, check your fridge and make some space! 5. Finding the right temperature I can't emphasise this enough: just because it looks cooked doesn't mean it is. This is important especially with poultry, pork, minced and skewered meat, such as burgers, sausages and kebabs. While the outside may look cooked (and in some cases burnt), the inside can still be raw. The best tool I can ask you to use is a meat thermometer. Insert it into the thickest part of the meat and check that it reaches 75°C. No meat thermometer? No problem. You can check to see if the meat is cooked by cutting into it and seeing that: They are piping hot all the way through There is no pink meat left The juices run clear On the day of the barbecue, I will most likely be busy running around. That's why I like to pre-cook the meat in the oven, then I can pop it on the grill for that classic BBQ flavour. It's a time saver and gives me confidence in knowing the meat is fully cooked. Hosting a BBQ should be enjoyable, not stressful. A little planning and common sense go a long way when it comes to food safety. By taking the time to prep to avoid these common mistakes, you will be a grill master in no time. Most importantly, you'll be protecting your guests from any unwanted surprises, and they will remember your BBQ for all the right reasons.
