Prevention of Food Poisoning

 PREVENTION OF FOOD POISONING

Buying groceries

·              Buy meat and seafood items only from hygienic outlets.

·              Do not buy items whose expiry date has elapsed.

·              Do not buy items containing undercooked or raw animal-derived ingredients.

·              Buy only pasteurised milk or cheese.

·              Do not buy eggs which are cracked or leaking.

Storage

·              Take groceries directly home and store immediately in the refrigerator.

·              Always store raw meat, poultry, or seafood in plastic bags, so that drippings do not contaminate other items in the refrigerator.

·              Hot foods should be eaten immediately, or kept hot (> 60° C), or refrigerated.

·              Do not store eggs in the egg-section of the door (provided in most refrigerators), since adequate cooling does not occur. Place them inside cartons and store them in the main section of the refrigerator.

Temperature requirements

·              Never leave cut vegetables/meat in the open. Refrigerate them, or cook them.

·              Ensure that the temperature in the main section of the refrigerator is always below 4° C, and that of the freezer is below -18° C.

·              Cook all meat and seafood thoroughly before eating. Never consume undercooked oysters, clams, mussels, sushi, or snails.

·              Cook eggs until both the yolk and white are firm. Never eat runny yolk.

·      Reheat food or heat partially cooked foods all the way through to at least 74° C.

·              If any food item looks or smells suspicious, discard it.

Hygiene

·      Wash hands, utensils, and counters with water and soap between preparation of different foods (especially raw meat, poultry, fish, eggs).

·      Use plastic or glass cutting boards for slicing vegetables or meat. Wooden boards are extremely difficult to clean adequately.

·      Wash fresh fruits and vegetables under running water.

Dining out

·      Avoid consuming uncooked animal-derived dishes (sushi, raw oysters, Hollandaise sauce, eggnog, mayonnaise, etc.).

·      Do not eat undercooked meat or poultry.

·      Do not consume egg preparations with runny yolk.

Foreign travel

a. Drink only boiled or bottled water.

b  Do not eat raw vegetables and salads.

c. Do not buy food items from roadside vendors.