The festive season in South Africa is built around food. There are braais that start at lunchtime and end after dark, tables covered in salads and desserts, and enough leftovers to feed the whole street. With so much food being cooked, shared and left out in the summer heat, it is also the time of year when food poisoning is most likely to join the party. The good news is that a few easy habits can keep your family safe without taking any of the fun out of the meal.

Heat and food do not get along

Germs that cause food poisoning grow fastest between 5°C and 60°C, and a hot December afternoon sits right in that range. Cooked food should not stand out for more than two hours, and on a very hot day, it is safest to put it away within one hour. Foods like cooked chicken, rice, creamy salads, seafood and anything with mayonnaise or dairy need extra care. Keep cold food in the fridge or a cooler box with plenty of ice until it is time to eat and keep hot food hot until it is served.

Make sure the braai is really done

Every family has an uncle who insists the meat is ready, and every family has learned to check anyway. Chicken, boerewors, burgers and sosatie should be cooked all the way through, with no pink in the middle and juices that run clear. The outside can look perfectly browned while the inside is still raw, especially on a hot fire, so cut into the thickest piece to check. If you have a meat thermometer, chicken should reach 75°C in the centre.

Keep raw and cooked food apart

Use one board and one set of tongs for raw meat and a different set for cooked food. Never put cooked meat back on the plate that held it raw. If you want to use leftover marinade as a sauce, boil it first, because it has been sitting with raw meat. Wash your hands with soap after handling raw meat and before touching anything else.

Treat leftovers with respect

When everyone is too full to move, it is tempting to leave the food on the table and deal with it later. Try to pack leftovers into the fridge within two hours and eat them within three days. When you reheat them, make sure they are steaming hot all the way through. If you are not sure how long something has been standing out, it is safer to throw it away. Nobody wants the potato salad to be the most memorable part of Christmas.

Know the signs of food poisoning

Food poisoning usually shows up as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach cramps and sometimes a fever. Most people feel better within a day or two. The most important thing is to keep drinking small sips of water or a rehydration drink to replace the fluids your body is losing, and to rest.

When to get help

Please get medical advice if symptoms last longer than three days, if there is blood in the stool, if you have a high fever, or if you cannot keep any fluids down. Signs of dehydration, such as dizziness, a very dry mouth or passing very little urine, also need attention. Babies, young children, older people, pregnant women and anyone with a weakened immune system can become seriously ill more quickly, so call for advice sooner rather than later. As an Affinity Health member, you can call our 24/7 telephonic hotline to speak to a nurse or doctor at any hour, including public holidays.

Enjoy every meal together

The best festive meals are the ones where everyone is laughing around the table, not taking turns for the bathroom. With a little care in the kitchen and at the braai, you can make sure the only thing your family remembers is how good the food was.