Have
you had tummy ache, vomiting or diarrhea after eaten unclean food? Food borne illness can be avoided by practicing safe food handling. These tips will keep your food safe while you enjoy cooking and nutritious meal.
1.
Wash your hands before cooking or eating
Your
hands carry bacteria on them especially after playing sports, gardening and
playing with your phones or pets. If you do not wash your hand before food handling, you will
pass on the bacteria to food and then to your stomach
Remember
to wash your hands after handling raw food, before moving on to handle ready to
eat item. Pay extra attention to those areas often missed during hand washing.
2.
Keep hot foods hot
Cooked
food if left to room temperature for more than 2 hours, may cause food borne
illness as bacteria grow well at this temperature. Make sure you reheat leaf
over food thoroughly before eating.
3.
Keep cold foods cold
Salad,
milk and yogurt need to be kept in the refrigerator. Make sure you
keep them back to the fridge right away after using them.
4.
Keep raw foods away from cooked food
Do
not keep raw food and cooked food in the same plate or chopping board; bacteria from raw food will likely transfer to ready to eat cooked food.
5.
Expiry date
Expiry
date is valid for packaged food in its unopened packaging. Food once unwrapped,
exposed to air, or handled has a shorter expiry date, usually within 2 to 3 days in
the refrigerator.
6.
Thaw food safely
Frozen
meat or poultry should be thawed in refrigerator rather than on the table. Bacteria
can grow to dangerous level if raw or frozen meat has been left out at room
temperature for long hours.
7.
When in doubt, throw it out
Never
taste food that you think may be spoiled. If you are not sure if the food is
safe to be eaten, throw it out.
