Quick answer
Control Salmonella by obtaining suitable ingredients, preventing raw-to-ready-to-eat transfer, using effective cooking where required and maintaining proper hygiene and storage. Consider eggs, produce and contaminated water as well as meat and poultry. Controls must fit the actual dish and customer group; a normal smell or an intact-looking shell does not establish safety.
Look beyond one familiar ingredient
UKHSA’s overview identifies meat, eggs, dairy and contaminated produce as possible routes. Food Standards Scotland also explains animal, person-to-person and water-related routes.
A kitchen therefore needs controls around purchasing, preparation and people. Cooking one meat item correctly will not protect a salad already contaminated by its packaging or a worker’s hands.
Review the ingredients and intended use
| Ingredient or route | What to check |
|---|---|
| Raw meat or poultry | Supplier, storage, containment and effective cooking. |
| Eggs and egg dishes | Suitable product/assurance and the method for the actual customer group. |
| Produce | Instructions and safe handling before ready-to-eat use. |
| Water | A suitable safe supply for the intended food task. |
| Hands and shared equipment | A practical route that interrupts contamination. |
| Animal-related contacts | Keep contamination from animals or raw pet food out of food preparation. |
This is an assessment aid, not a claim that every food in each group is contaminated.
Make the egg decision specific
Do not assume any raw egg is suitable for a lightly cooked or uncooked dish. Check current official guidance on hen-egg assurance, the dish and the people it will serve. Non-hen eggs and particular vulnerable-person circumstances need their own care.
FSA’s foods-needing-extra-care method includes thoroughly cooked eggs, pasteurised egg and suitable assurance options. Where uncertainty remains, use a properly suitable pasteurised product or an appropriate thorough-cooking method, and confirm specialist requirements rather than guess.
Interrupt transfer during preparation
Keep raw food and its packaging away from ready-to-eat food. Provide suitable separate equipment, storage and handwashing arrangements, with effective cleaning and disinfection. Follow the appropriate national method rather than use a quick wipe as proof.
Staff must report relevant illness through the fitness-to-work procedure. FSA guidance explains reporting and exclusion; this prevention guide does not diagnose staff or customers.
Worked example: an egg-based sauce changes supplier
Hypothetical example: a caterer changes the egg ingredient for a sauce served without further cooking. The substitute has not been checked against the original safe method.
The manager pauses its use, checks the product and relevant guidance, and confirms whether a suitable pasteurised ingredient or different process is needed. Matching the recipe quantity alone would not establish that the safety controls remain equivalent.
Check cooking and respond to a failure
Use an effective food-specific cooking method and check it as required. Official business cooking guidance gives standard time/temperature advice; it does not replace specialist validation for unusual processes.
If contamination or inadequate treatment may have affected food, keep it out of service, establish its history and follow the corrective procedure. Preserve relevant supplier and batch information and obtain authority advice when appropriate.
Next steps
Review one dish containing raw ingredients, including its supplier, cooking and later handling. Link the controls with separation guidance and review records.
Read official Salmonella prevention information — Understand food routes and use the relevant operational guidance.