Experts issue urgent warning over 'unsafe' Christmas leftovers mistake

We’re all at that point in the festive period when the fridge is fully stocked with leftovers from various feasts, meaning it’s hard not to walk past without sneaking a couple of pigs in blankets.

As is also inevitable at this time of year, it’s easy to lose track of what day of the week we’re on, given that they all merge into one.

It’s anyone’s guess, then, about the varying states of all those bits and bobs that need eating up.

But experts believe there’s one key mistake we could all avoid to make sure we're not eating food that’s ‘unsafe’.

It all boils down to the temperature of your fridge, which is likely something you’ve never paid any thought to.

Surely if it feels nice and cool in there, it's cold enough, right? Well, it turns out there’s actually more of a specific threshold that many aren’t aware of.

Do you know how to use your fridge properly? (Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images)

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) recently released new advice about steering clear of food poisoning over Christmas, along with data on cooking and preparing food at home, and cooking for others on occasions.

Research found that over a quarter (27 percent) of people said they would be ‘likely to store food that should be refrigerated in another cool place (such as a garage, porch, or cool box) due to a lack of space in the fridge’, with the FSA instructing: “Take out those soft drinks!”

Instead, it warned: “Keeping your fridge at the correct temperature (5 C or below) helps prevent food poisoning.

“If food isn’t properly chilled it could go off faster and be unsafe to eat.”

The FSA also shared a list of other key tips to help remind people how they could keep the food they cook safe over the holidays:

• Freeze any leftovers for future dishes and make sure you chill food between meals if you want to eat it later. You can visit Love Food Hate Waste / Preventing food waste for even more information on how to make the most of your food at home
• A use-by date on food is about safety. This is the most important date to remember. You can eat food until and on the use-by date but not after. You can also freeze food with a use-by date right up to the end of the date on the label
• Best Before is about quality. The food can be safe to eat after this date – but it might not be at its best

(Kinga Krzeminska/Getty Images)

Robin May, Chief Scientific Advisor at the FSA, commented: “Don’t be a turkey - our new data shows us that people are taking some unnecessary and avoidable risks in the way they cook, prepare and store food. Whether your Christmas meal is a chicken for two or a goose for twenty-two, make sure it is cooked until steaming hot all the way through.

"Although we are talking about this in a light-hearted way, there's a serious message underlying the data. No one likes being ill over the holidays, especially at a time when friends and family come together, including people who are more vulnerable to food poisoning, such as older relatives or those who are pregnant. If you’re cooking for a crowd, there’s lots to think about and maybe not much room in the fridge. We have lots of easy tips on www.food.gov.uk about cooking turkeys, storing food, chilling and reheating leftovers so you and your loved ones stay well and enjoy the celebrations.”