World Food Safety Day 2023: Simple Tips To Prevent Foodborne Diseases
Preventing foodborne illnesses at home is crucial for everyone. Here are some simple tips to help you prevent foodborne illness
Foodborne illness is also known as food poisoning, is a disease caused by eating contaminated food. Food poisoning can be caused by a variety of bacteria, viruses, parasites, and toxins that contaminate food at any point along the food chain, from production to processing, handling, and even preparation.
Simple Tips To Prevent Foodborne Illness At Home
Preventing foodborne illnesses at home is crucial for maintaining the health and well-being of you and your family. Here are some simple tips to help you prevent foodborne illness:
Food Safety
Avoid consuming expired or damaged foods.
Use safe drinking water for cooking, washing produce, and preparing beverages.
Be cautious with high-risk foods like raw or undercooked eggs, raw sprouts, unpasteurised dairy products, and deli meats, as they are more likely to harbor harmful bacteria
Purchase food from known sources and ensure they are fresh and of good quality.
Safe Temperature
Do not eat food that has been left out at room temperature for more than two hours. If food is left out for longer than two hours, it should be discarded.
Thoroughly cook all meat, poultry, and seafood. Cook to an internal temperature of 73 degrees Celsius for meat and poultry, and 62 degrees Celsius for seafood.
Refrigerate food promptly. Keep perishable foods, such as meat, poultry, seafood, dairy products, and eggs, refrigerated at 4 degrees Celsius or below.
Do not leave food out at room temperature for more than two hours. If food is left out for longer than two hours, it should be discarded.
Keep Things Separate
Keep raw meat, poultry, and seafood separate from other foods. This will help prevent the cross-contamination of germs.
Use different cutting boards and utensils for raw and cooked foods to avoid cross-contamination.
Cleanliness
Clean and sanitise all surfaces that come into contact with food. This includes countertops, cutting boards, utensils, and dishes.
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after handling food. This is the most important thing you can do to prevent the spread of germs.
In case of food poisoning, some cases are mild and go away on their own within a few days. However, some cases can be more serious, especially in children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems. It is always advisable to seek the help of a medical practitioner incase of any issue.