Consumers need to equip themselves with knowledge to prevent food poisoning.

It can be said that never before has food safety been of such concern to so many people and mentioned so much in the media as it is today.

Poor quality food, spoiled food, moldy food; food of unknown origin; infected food, even fake food... are sold openly and widely in the market, on social networking sites with all kinds of tricks of sellers to attract and deceive consumers. Authorities have discovered and handled many cases. The consequences of using unsafe food, in the short term, can cause poisoning to users due to bacteria, viruses and parasites or due to toxins in the food itself. In the long term, there are many other dangers that will destroy the consumer's body, including cancer.

Currently, at shopping centers in the province, essential foods for daily meals that meet standards are always sold at reasonable prices. Consumers should choose to buy to ensure the health safety for themselves and their families.

Therefore, equipping consumers with basic knowledge about preventing food poisoning is considered a very necessary skill. First of all, consumers need to grasp the basic knowledge about choosing safe food. That is, they must pay attention to the origin, source, quality, color... these things can be observed with the naked eye.

In addition to the fresh color and dryness of the meat, you should absolutely avoid buying meat sold on the roadside, in spontaneous markets, transported by small traders to many places during the day and not quarantined, or meat that is dark black, light green, has a mucous membrane on the outside, has the smell of decomposing meat and even the smell of antibiotics, preservatives, and marinades.

For ground or pre-processed meat, it is best to buy at branded stores and shopping centers with food safety certification from the authorities.

For fish and seafood, you should choose those that have been kept cold enough or those that are still fresh, not spoiled, and show no signs of being marinated with preservatives.

As for vegetables, tubers and fruits, in addition to choosing fresh ones to ensure nutrition (preferably just harvested), the food is not damaged or crushed, it is necessary to wash thoroughly with clean water, then soak in diluted salt water for 5-10 minutes to remove bacteria and parasites, especially for raw vegetables, to reduce the residue of pesticides and growth stimulants.

For livestock and poultry meat, consumers should choose to buy meat with quarantine stamps from the Veterinary Department.

Dr. Dinh Thi Nguyen, Head of the Department of Nutrition, Center for Disease Control of Ca Mau province, informed: “Using safe and hygienic food will bring many benefits to consumers’ health such as: reducing the risk of disease, especially digestive diseases; strengthening the immune system and protecting the long-term health of users. Therefore, consumers should equip themselves with the necessary knowledge in choosing clean food for their family’s meals”.

However, currently, the issue of controlling food safety and hygiene (mainly on vegetables, tubers, fruits and meat, eggs, fish) traded on the market still has many loopholes, from which food poisoning still occurs, making consumers always feel insecure when choosing food for family meals. Many gardeners, just for immediate profit, regardless of the risks to users, so after spraying pesticides, before they have enough time to decompose according to regulations, they harvest and supply to the market immediately. This is a high risk leading to poisoning, even threatening the lives of consumers.

Dr. Tran Van Tu, Deputy Head of the Department of Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, Ca Mau Province Center for Disease Control, recommends: “The use of chemicals and antibiotics in livestock and crop farming must be of the right type, in the right dosage, in the right way and at the right time. The slaughter of livestock and poultry must be properly controlled by the Veterinary Department. Absolutely do not transport, trade, process and use meat from sick or dead livestock and poultry without a clear cause. Only then can the risk of food poisoning in the community be well controlled.”

Consumers should choose to buy vegetables, tubers and fruits that are not crushed or damaged, and choose carefully to avoid buying the wrong type of pesticide residue.

Food safety is one of the most important factors in people's daily lives. Therefore, in addition to inspection, post-inspection, and recommendations from the authorities, consumers should also equip themselves with the necessary knowledge to recognize clean food and food that does not meet the prescribed standards when choosing nutritious meals for their families.

Phuong Vu

 

Source: https://baocamau.vn/nguoi-tieu-dung-can-trang-bi-kien-thuc-phong-tranh-ngo-doc-thuc-pham-a39594.html