10 Food Safety Measures to Ensure Good Health
Food safety is one of the most important factors that should be considered first and foremost when it comes to eating the right kind of food to ensure a healthy life. In our day to day regular life we often handle food in a wrong way unknowingly. We think that we are eating healthy, when we are actually not. This can put our health at risk and even cost us our lives. Following certain Food Safety measures, can not only proloong our lifespan but let us enjoy life in a healthier way.
Here are 10 common Food Safety measures to ensure a safe and healthy life for you.
- Buying perishable food items – Always ensure to buy perishable food items like milk, poultry, eggs, cheese, vegetables, fruits fresh. Go to the supermarket earlier to buy such items fresh to avoid buying food items lying all day long in the store. Do not buy raw food items like meat that has been placed on the store counter for a long time after being butchered. Always buy freshly cut meat if you buy from a butcher or freshly stored and refrigerated meat if you buy from the supermarket. Also ensure to check the date of packaging and expiry date mentioned in the food packet.
- Keeping raw meats in open for a long time– In order to ensure Food Safety, raw meats bought should not be thawed in the open for a long time. This makes them prone to catch up harmful bacteria, which then enters our body as the meat is cooked and eaten. Always ensure to properly refrigerate the meat when not used and cook it as soon as the meat reaches the room temperature after being taken out.
- Avoid tasting foods that has expired or become spoiled– Spoiled or expired food contains harmful bacterial and fungal infestation which are invisible to naked eyes. Tasting and checking those contaminated foods to see if they have spoiled can expose your body to harmful health threatening infections. Throw and never taste any food that has expired or has been left for many days, because a little bit inside your body can cause serious illnesses.
- Keeping cooked food outside long for long time– Cooked food should be avoided to be laid down outside for a long time to avoid exposure to pathogens. Food Safety is ensured when cooked food, when not used should be stored in cool temperature or refrigerator to keep them fresh and germs free.
- Avoid putting cooked food on a container that had held raw meat– Raw meat contains bacterial infestations which can get transferred to food items, if placed on containers that has been used to keep raw meat. Always use separate containers to keep raw meat, fish and seafood.
- Avoid using the same cutting boards for all purposes– Keep separate cutting boards for raw meat and vegetables respectively. Cutting boards used for raw meats specifically should be washed and cleaned thoroughly with warm water and soap soon after its use to prevent bacterial infestation.
- Avoid eating raw cookie or cake dough containing eggs– Avoid eating or tasting raw dough that contains raw egg. Raw eggs may contain Salmonella or other harmful bacteria that causes a serious illnesses known as Salmonellosis, which is a type of food poisoning. Even a little amount of raw eggs containing the bacterial infestation can be detrimental to your health. Make sure the dough containing egg is cooked thoroughly at the right temperature before eating it.
- Avoid under cooking meat, seafood, eggs and other meat products– Cooking meat, poultry, fish, eggs and seafood using the right temperature is a must. It helps to kill any germs or other contamination that might be present in the raw meat. It’s safe to use a food thermometer to check if the cooking has been done using the right temperature.
- Ensure washing hands properly – Ensure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling raw meats and meat products. Always make sure to wash hands before and after handling food.Food Safety is not only involved in how you store food but also how you handle food items.
- Replace kitchen sponges and rags – Kitchen sponges and used rags are the home to majority of harmful food borne pathogens which are often reason for serious illnesses. Sanitize and cleanse these kitchen objects soon after use and replace them alternatively.
The World Health Organisation has a detailed list of all major foodborne illnesses and their causes in both adults and children.
Food Safety involves inculcating healthy eating habits, following food safety measures that ensures that you eat not only healthy but safely handled food. Just few words of caution and following these few food safety tips will keep you hail and hearty for life long
Leave a Reply