At vet school part of our finals is in public health (food poisoning), we all have been made to work in an abbatoir! This is my list of food safety.
Raw chicken packaging is covered in bacteria! This also means the shelves in supermarkets and the trolleys, especially trolley handles! Always disinfect your hands after you have finished using the trolley and before and after you put your shopping away! Supermarkets are unfortunately very unhygienic places! Try not to touch your face when food shopping or you transfer bacteria to around your mouth.
Disinfect your fridge weekly, I know it is a pain taking everything out but that chicken bacteria will be sat growing on your fridge shelf! We now make a date list of everything that we buy so that we don't forget about something at the back of the fridge, it has greatly reduced our food waste.
If something smells don't eat it even if it is within its use by date. If something is passed its use by date but smells ok then you need to decide. (I've just eaten toasted scotch pancakes 2 days out of date)
Tap water has bacteria in it! When you leave a glass of water out for 24hrs that bacteria grows and multiplies, don't drink old water, this includes half drunk bottles!
Don't eat salami/ pepperoni and anything else made with nitrates unless it is cooked in something eg pizza. It is made by taking raw meat and covering it with bacteria then letting it get mouldy! Sounds really appetising doesn't it!
Don't eat mussles when pregnant! I've been put in hospital twice from eating 'fresh' mussels! The food poisoning is horrendous even when you are not pregnant! I would avoid shellfish. Prawns should be fine as long as they are firm.
Don't eat blue cheese or anything else that is mouldly. Be careful of old condiment bottles in your fridge, mustard and mayonnaise, if you can't remember how long it has been in there then throw it out.
If you go abroad don't eat eggs! Anything that has a Lion stamp on it is vaccinated against salmonella. All UK eggs should be. Abroad most aren't, I've had salmonella from freshly made scrambled eggs in a 5 star hotel. It was the worst food poisoning I have ever had! Don't risk it!
Desserts often contain raw eggs, it should be ok in the UK but I wouldn't risk it with homemade ones. Chocolate mousse and ice cream often contain raw eggs in restaurants but most shop bought stuff says pasteurised on the packaging.
Listeria grows at 4 degrees and above in your fridge.
I don't want to frighten anyone that they can't eat for the next 7+ months but most food poisoning doesn't actually come from what you eat but what is around you!