To protect yourself and your family, keep these 10 Golden Rules in mind – a solid shield for every meal:
1. Choose safe food: While there are many types of food, it's important to know how to choose safe foods, such as meat, fish, vegetables, and pre-packaged foods.
2. Cook food thoroughly: Many raw foods, such as meat, poultry, eggs, and unpasteurized milk, can be contaminated with disease-causing bacteria. Foods should be cooked thoroughly before eating.
3. Eat food immediately after it's cooked: Cooked food cools down when left at room temperature, creating favorable conditions for bacteria to grow. The longer it sits, the higher the risk of bacterial contamination. For safety, we should eat food immediately after it's cooked.
4. Carefully store cooked food: If you want to prepare food in advance or keep leftovers, they must be stored at either hot (near or above 60 ℃ ) or cold (near or below 10 ℃ ) temperatures. This is crucial if you want to store food for more than 4 or 5 hours. All baby food should not be stored. A common mistake leading to food poisoning is storing large quantities of food in the refrigerator. In a refrigerator with too much food, cooked food doesn't get enough cooling quickly. When food remains warm for too long (above 10 ℃ ), bacteria multiply rapidly, reaching levels that can cause illness.
5. Reheat food thoroughly before eating: This is the best practice to prevent bacterial growth during food storage (proper storage can reduce bacterial growth but not kill the organisms). Again, reheating means the food must be cooked to a temperature of at least 70 ℃ .
6. Do not mix raw and cooked food: Cooked food can become contaminated through contact with raw food. For example, you should not prepare raw meat and then use the same cutting board and knife to cut cooked meat. Doing so will reintroduce foodborne pathogens.
7. Always keep your hands clean when handling food: Wash your hands thoroughly before handling food and after any interruptions to the food preparation process, such as after using the toilet or coming into contact with other sources of contamination. After handling raw meat products, such as fish, meat, or poultry, remember to wash your hands thoroughly before handling other foods. And if you have a wound on your hand, bandage and cover it completely before handling food. And always remember that pets such as dogs, cats, and birds are often dangerous carriers of disease that can be transmitted from your hands to food.
8. Keep food preparation surfaces and the kitchen clean and dry: Food is easily contaminated, so any surface used in contact with food must be kept clean. Even a small piece of food can be a potential source of germs. Dishcloths and cooking utensils should be changed and boiled regularly before reuse. Kitchen floor cloths should also be washed thoroughly.
9. Protect food from insects, rodents, and other animals: Animals often carry microorganisms that cause foodborne illnesses. The best way to store food is in airtight containers.
10. Use clean water: Clean water is a crucial element in food preparation and beverage making. If a clean water supply is unavailable, you can boil water before using it for food preparation or making ice for drinks. Be cautious with any water used in preparing meals for children.
Source: https://soyte.camau.gov.vn/bai-khoa-hoc-chinh-tri-va-xa-hoi/dam-bao-ve-sinh-an-toan-thuc-pham-mua-he-299742
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