The Germs in the Kitchen you need to know about

• Hygiene is the most important thing when you are pregnant, as poor hygiene can lead to infections that can be dangerous for you and your unborn child.¹
• Keeping your kitchen clean, such as worktops and chopping boards is crucial to keep food safe and to avoid growth and spread of microorganisms.²
• You have to be careful about how you prepare and store food in the kitchen to avoid the germs that can cause food poisoning.³
• These germs are present on hands, wiping cloths, utensils, cutting boards and can transfer to food, causing foodborne diseases.³

Kitchen hygiene tips^2,4

• Wash your hands using soap and warm water and dry them
• You must wash hands before handling and preparing food and after touching raw foods (especially meat), going to the toilet, touching animals (including pets) and touching bins
• Always clean worktops before preparing food
• Wipe up any spilt food
• Always wash fruit and vegetables by rubbing them underwater
• Wash worktops properly after they have been touched by raw food including meat, poultry vegetables or raw eggs
• Never place food on a worktop or chopping board that has been touched by raw meat or other raw foods, unless you have washed it thoroughly
• Prefer storing raw food and ready to eat foods separately
• Clean your chopping boards and utensils thoroughly before and after preparing food
• Keep separate chopping boards for raw food (e.g., meat) and ready to eat foods or wash it in between preparing different types of food, to avoid bacteria getting transferred from raw food
• Remember to clean knives and other utensils thoroughly after using them