Christmas food safety

Use our food safety checklist to reduce the risk of food poisoning at Christmas

Cooked Christmas turkey on platter next to festive table decorations

Festive food safety

To make sure you avoid the unwanted gift of food poisoning this Christmas, follow our food hygiene tips for each day over the festive period.

Christmas can be a magical time of year, but not if you end up with food poisoning! There’s always a lot going on at this time of year and it’s easy to forget the importance of storing and preparing food safely. But none of us want to give – or get – the unwanted gift of food poisoning.

We tend to buy more than usual at Christmas, which often means cramming our fridge full of festive food. But did you know that the temperature of your fridge can rise when it's full, and this can allow food poisoning bacteria to grow? Your fridge should be between 0-5°C – a good stocking filler idea could be a fridge thermometer to keep you right.

Top tips:

when shopping, make sure you have enough bags to keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separate
plan fridge and freezer space for the extra food you will have
keep foods that need to be chilled in the fridge – you can make room by taking out any non-perishable foods such as fizzy juice, beer and wine
use cold garages and sheds for non-perishable foods
using a fridge thermometer, check the fridge temperature is 0-5°C, built in dials on fridges are not always a good indicator of how cold a fridge is
check food is cooked properly by using a food thermometer in the thickest part so it reaches 75°C or above
when defrosting meat it is safest to do this in the fridge because when food is above 8°C and below 63°C bacteria grow and multiply
do not defrost meat at room temperature - this allows turkey or other meat to fall into this danger zone, increasing the risk of food poisoning

Did you know?

It could take around 3 days to safely defrost a 6kg turkey in a 4°C fridge.

Read our guide on how to cook turkey safely.

Christmas checklist

We’ve created a checklist ☑ to remind you of some easy and common food safety practices to help reduce the risks of food poisoning.

Make a list of who’s coming for dinner so that you can plan meals appropriately and cater for any food allergies or other dietary restrictions.

make a food plan for Christmas dinner and the few days after to make the most of leftovers. Check dates when shopping to plan meals and freeze food ahead of time. Follow all use-by dates, especially in the days after Christmas even if it smells fine.
use up food in the fridge/freezer to make room for the Christmas food shop
check that your fridge is cold enough after the Christmas food shop has been put away (between 0-5°C)
take meat out of the freezer and defrost it on the bottom shelf of the fridge. This is so that any juices can't drip on to ready-to-eat food as this could spread harmful germs. Allow 10-12 hours of defrost time per kg.

Check safety information on food labels and our website before preparing dinner

Turkey cooking guide

Looking for advice on cooking a turkey or other poultry? The following guide will help you prepare the perfect roast for your family and friends to enjoy – without food poisoning ruining festivities.

wash hands in warm, soapy water before and throughout dinner preparations, especially after handling raw meat
remember, do not wash raw poultry and other meat, as this can splash harmful bacteria around the kitchen
use different utensils, plates and chopping boards for raw and ready-to-eat/cooked food, or wash thoroughly in hot, soapy water between uses
check meat is cooked – there should be no visible pink meat and the juices should run clear. Use a food thermometer to check meat reaches 75°C in the thickest part
cook stuffing in a separate roasting tin. Stuffing inside the turkey will add more cooking time
put leftovers in the fridge within two hours and eat within 2 days

if you’re having a buffet, keep chilled foods out of the fridge for the shortest time possible (no longer than four hours).
remember to eat your leftovers within two days of cooking or put them in the freezer. When reheating, only reheat once and ensure the food is steaming hot.

Top tip

Do not wash your turkey, chicken or any other kind of meat as this can spread harmful germs around the kitchen sink and surfaces which could make you or others ill.

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Christmas food safety

Festive food safety

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Christmas checklist

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