Bugs Like it Hot!

Keep everyone smiling this summer with the latest appliances from Maytag UK.

National Food Safety Week takes place from 9th to 13th June this year and it is an excellent opportunity to remind consumers of the dangers of food contamination by bacteria.

The summer is a great time for bugs and they love it hot! According to the Food Standards Agency poisoning affects more than five million people in Britain every year.

The main ways this occurs includes eating food not cooked or stored correctly; cross contamination whilst preparing raw and cooked foods and using food past its use by date.

For the retailer educating and sharing your fountain of appliance knowledge and expertise will help to make the home a safer place. To support the aims of the campaign of hygiene and safety Maytag UK offers some help.

The summer is forecasted to be another scorcher so top up your refrigeration displays. There's no better time to reap the benefits of the hot weather, selling the latest in refrigeration. Make everyone aware of the features that promote good food hygiene and safety and persuade those with a refrigerator that's struggling to change it out.

Stuart Frost, Maytag's Product Marketing Manager explains: ‘It's so important that consumers know the best way to manage food preparation and storage during warmer weather. Refrigeration today has so much to offer. Not only should you encourage the purchase of a new refrigerator and take the opportunity to trade up by using a few tips on how to manage food safely; you could even introduce a dishwasher and expound its hygienic benefits.’

Focusing on Maytag's latest refrigeration the new 20 Series is not only A+ rated it also has some features to make life bug free. Food shopping needs to go into a fridge and freezer very quickly following purchase. Maytag's Fast Cool refrigerator setting is designed to chill large quantities of fresh food quickly. The Fast Freeze freezer setting is perfect for quickly freezing fresh food and restoring the freezer temperature fast after loading. Both settings automatically switch off for peace of mind.

To avoid cross-contamination make use of dedicated storage areas. Maytag provides temperature and humidity controlled storage zones for greater food protection. Fruit and vegetables have their own refrigerated and humidity controlled zones keeping them away from raw, cooked and ready-to-eat foods. Meat, fish, poultry have dedicated zones at the bottom of the fridge while eggs and dairy can be stored safely in specially allotted compartments.

The Beverage Chiller section is maintained up to 3¾C colder than the rest of the fridge, keeping milk and beverages colder for safer, longer storage. This system is recognised by the US Dairy association as beneficial to dairy products.

Ensure a frost free fridge and freezer remains frost free and working correctly. Check the settings regularly and make sure that the fridge is between 0 and 5¾C and the freezer at -18¾C or below; many new refrigerators offer temperature monitoring and control systems to manage this process for you.

Look for antibacterial linings to promote hygienic internal surfaces. However, it is still important to remember to clean the shelves and containers regularly and the external surfaces and handles too.

Respect the storage times on all foods. Nothing lasts forever! Most foods carry a 'use by' or 'best before' date. Check them carefully and how long food may be kept once opened. If there is any doubt, don't hesitate to throw it out, it is far too dangerous to risk eating anything passed its use by date.

Particularly important, especially with the barbeque season soon upon us, is to ensure food is not left out at room temperature for more than a couple of hours, if so it must be thrown away.

We all know that refrigerated temperature control is a major blow to the progress of bacteria, but equally when considering food safety it is worth remembering that harmful bacteria can't bear the heat either. Most bacteria associated with food poisoning can be destroyed simply be making sure food is thoroughly cooked and stays hot enough.

‘And finally, when the food preparation and cooking is done there is no better way to finalise the clearing away by using a dishwasher. This is a great opportunity for the retailer to sell a dishwasher considering 70% of us still don't have one! These magical appliances not only store away the clutter, wash it up quietly, they use hotter temperatures than our hands can withstand and they dry the dishes to perfection, sparing the use of the bug-ridden tea towel. Hygiene and safety at its best,’ comments Stuart.

A new refrigerator and a dishwasher from Maytag UK can also reduce a household's energy, water usage and carbon footprint...great for the environment and perfect for the pocket too with rising fuel prices.

For further information on Maytag UK's latest appliances and to help you manage your customers through the summer call your Area Sales Manager or Maytag UK on 0844 499 0101.

For more information on National Food Safety Week visit the website at:
http://www.foodlink.org.uk. Or visit the Food Standards Agency website at http://www.food.gov.uk and http://www.eatwell.gov.uk are useful for further hints and tips on preparing, storing and cooking food.