Features
Your food – your responsibility
World Food Safety Day falls tomorrow on the theme, ‘Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow’.
by Randima Attygalle
An estimated 600 million around the world- almost one in ten people fall ill after eating contaminated food each year, resulting in 420,000 deaths according to the World Health Organization (WHO). These numbers, however, represent only ‘the tip of the iceberg’ as comprehensive surveillance data for food-borne illnesses is not available everywhere, WHO adds. Unsafe food carrying harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances can cause more than 200 different diseases, ranging from diarrhea to cancer. Food-borne illnesses, commonly referred to as ‘food poisoning,’ is the result of eating contaminated, spoiled or toxic food.
Reading labels, preparation of food and storing all contribute to food safety says Dr. Renuka Jayatissa, Head of the Department of Nutrition at the Medical Research Institute and President of the Sri Lanka Medical Nutrition Association. “Our food law makes it mandatory for all food labels to appear at least in two languages used in the country, so that every consumer can read the composition, nutritional properties, expiry date etc.”, she said calling for better consumer attention towards reading labels when purchasing food.
Pre-packed foods carry either ‘use by’ or ‘best before’ date. While ‘use by’ date appears on foods ‘which go off quite quickly’ as the National Health Services (NHS) UK points out, ‘best before’ dates are meant for foods with a longer life. ‘It can be dangerous to eat foods past ‘Use by date’ and ‘best before’ indicating how long the food will be at its best, points out NHS. ‘Food can look and smell fine even after its ‘use by’ date but that does not mean it’s safe to eat. It could still contain bugs that could make you ill. Eating food past its ‘best before’ date is not dangerous, but the food may not be good quality,’ notes the NHS.
Proper storing of food and leftovers in the fridge is crucial to prevent food poisoning. Knowing what and how to store in a fridge and proper fridge maintenance is vital says Dr. Jayatissa who stresses that “a fridge is not a cupboard”. Keeping the fridge temperature at 4-8 C and cleaning the fridge regularly helps maintain food quality. Storing raw meat in clean, sealed containers is important to prevent bacteria from spreading and raw meat should be kept away from cooked meat and other ready-to-eat foods. Keeping milk cartons closed when refrigerating and restoring canned food (once opened) in clean containers is also a must.
Storing vegetables in the vegetable box helps retain ideal moisture. “Wrapping them in cellophane should be avoided to enable air circulation. If vegetables and fruits are washed before refrigerating, they need to be dried well,” says the nutritionist.
A common mistake many would do is defrosting meats and fish in water and refreezing them. NHS UK notes that frozen raw foods can be defrosted once and stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours before they need to be cooked or thrown away. It also encourages to divide the meal into portions before freezing and then just defrost what you need only to reduce wastage. “Very often raw meats and fish are put to water and during this time bacteria starts to be established on them. These bacteria can produce toxins, hence when defrosting, you still need to move them from the deep freezer to the main compartment of the fridge, so that the rest can go back if necessary, without being exposed to room temperature,” says Dr. Jayatissa.
With climate change taking its toll, the average room temperature has risen from about 25C to around 29C today. Hence, consuming food within two to three hours of cooking and refrigerating the leftovers within three hours is essential. “Cooked food that is refrigerated should be eaten within three to four days. The food that has been frozen and removed from the freezer should be reheated and eaten within 24 hours because when food is made to cool and reheat repeatedly, the risk of food poisoning is more,” warns the nutritionist.
Hand-washing hygiene is paramount when handling food. Washing hands with warm water and soap before cooking and after touching raw food, bins, pets and using the toilet is essential to prevent harmful bacteria spreading very easily from hands to food, work surfaces and equipment. Your cutting board can be a breeding ground for bacteria unless properly washed and maintained. “It is important for a kitchen to have two separate cutting boards for meats/fish and vegetables and these boards should not have any grooves which will allow food particles to gather,” points out Dr. Jayatissa.
Washing vegetables and fruits in running water before cooking or eating them raw is essential to remove visible dirt and germs on them. “In this pandemic situation, some go to the extreme of washing their fruits and vegetables with dishwashing-liquid which should not be done. Since these detergents are not meant for human consumption, you may leave some traces on the peel of vegetables and fruits which could be harmful,” explains Dr. Jayatissa. Even organic fruits and vegetables that have gained popularity today, should be properly washed as they too can be contaminated during packing and transportation, she adds.
Cooking food at the right temperature will kill any harmful bacteria; however no high temperature can kill toxins or fungus, warns Dr. Jayatissa. “These are myths that need to be debunked. If you notice fungus on any food including grains and spices, it has to be discarded. Fungus cannot be destroyed in sunlight as many believe. Carcinogens such as aflatoxins can be produced in the fungi found on agricultural crops.”
When tempering food, care should be taken at all times not to ‘burn the oil’. “When tempering or frying any food, never wait till smoke comes out from the oil. There could be cancerous reaction in burnt oil and people should always avoid over fried foods such as rolls with dark burnt textures as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are present in them which are harmful to health,” she concludes.