IN a bid to avoid food-poisoning outbreaks in the festive period, environmental health officers are issuing safety advice.

Philip Mepham, Hambleton and Richmondshire environmental health manager said: “When large quantities of food are bought, stored and cooked, normal hygiene precautions are often forgotten.

“People are cooking for large numbers and trying to store more food than normal.”

He advises that food needing to be refrigerated should not be left at room temperature, but rather stored between 0 and five degrees, and raw and cooked foods must be kept separate. Menu plans should be made, use-by dates checked and leftovers eaten within three days. Food should only be reheated once and be served piping hot.