ANSES Turns Everyday Kitchen Hygiene Into a Practical Food-Safety Campaign

France’s food-safety agency, ANSES, has launched a new campaign focused on one of the most practical parts of food safety: what happens in the home kitchen. Called “The best ingredient is hygiene,” the initiative uses short animated videos to explain how everyday habits can help prevent foodborne infections.

The campaign is aimed at people cooking for themselves, family members, friends and young children. In its official announcement, ANSES says that around one-third of reported foodborne infections occur at home. The agency links many preventable risks to familiar situations, including improper storage, insufficient cooking, unwashed hands and cross-contamination between foods.

Rather than presenting hygiene as a checklist disconnected from real life, ANSES gives food and kitchen objects a voice in four animated videos. The format is designed to make invisible microbiological processes easier to understand, while keeping the advice relevant to ordinary cooking routines. The agency says the campaign draws on more than 15 years of research and scientific expertise on biological risks throughout the food chain.

Why kitchen routines still matter

Foods can carry microorganisms from their production environment, and some bacteria, viruses and parasites can multiply when conditions are favourable. ANSES names pathogens including Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus, as well as norovirus and parasites.

Cooking is only one part of the protection chain. A meal can be cooked safely and still become contaminated afterwards if it is handled with dirty hands, placed on a surface used for raw meat or fish, or left at room temperature for too long. That is why the campaign focuses on behaviour before, during and after cooking, rather than treating heat alone as a complete solution.

Four habits to take into everyday cooking

Wash hands before and during preparation. Hands can transfer microorganisms to food and utensils after contact with dirty surfaces, raw ingredients or the face. Washing with soap and water before cooking, and again whenever contamination is possible, is one of the simplest ways to interrupt that route.
Keep sponges under control. Damp sponges containing food residue can support bacterial growth. ANSES recommends disinfecting them at least once a week, using an appropriate heat method such as a dishwasher cycle of at least 60°C, boiling water or two minutes in a microwave at full power. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions and use only microwave-safe materials.
Refrigerate cooked food promptly. ANSES advises not waiting more than two hours before placing cooked food in the refrigerator. The agency recommends a fridge temperature between 0°C and 4°C, where the growth of pathogenic microorganisms is stopped or significantly slowed. Large amounts of food should be divided into smaller portions so they cool more quickly.
Separate raw and ready-to-eat foods. Raw meat and fish may contain pathogens that can spread to boards, knives, plates and work surfaces. Use separate equipment for raw ingredients and cooked food or clean vegetables whenever possible. At a barbecue, never reuse a plate or utensil that has held raw meat for the cooked food.

Cooking safely also means knowing who is most vulnerable

ANSES explains that thorough cooking destroys most pathogenic bacteria and viruses, but microorganisms may survive when animal-based foods are undercooked. The agency therefore recommends that people at higher risk of serious illness, including young children, pregnant women, older adults and people with weakened immune systems, eat meat, eggs and fish thoroughly cooked and avoid raw-milk cheeses.

This advice is especially relevant when preparing food for several people, because the cook may not know whether a guest is particularly vulnerable. A separate plate for cooked food, clean serving utensils and prompt refrigeration of leftovers are small steps that protect everyone at the table.

A practical message, not a promise of zero risk

The campaign does not suggest that home cooks can eliminate every food-safety risk by changing one habit. ANSES stresses that prevention must also happen earlier in the food chain, through controls, monitoring, laboratory analysis and action by food businesses and public authorities. Household hygiene is one layer in that wider system.

For home cooks, however, the message is clear: safe food depends on a sequence of ordinary decisions. Wash hands, keep equipment clean, separate raw and cooked foods, control refrigerator temperature and refrigerate meals promptly. These actions require little specialist equipment, but they are most effective when they become automatic parts of the cooking routine.

ANSES’s companion guide, “In the kitchen, the best ingredient is hygiene”, explains the microbiological reasons behind each recommendation. Together, the campaign and guide turn food-safety science into advice that can be checked and applied during the next meal.