How to prevent food poisoning What to do if food poisoning occurs

What foods are likely to cause food poisoning?

Intrinsically poisonous foods. Many foods contain toxins that cannot be removed by cooking. Poisonous mushrooms are a classic example.

Improper processing methods. Some foods have toxins that can be removed through proper cooking. However, if they are not cooked properly, they may cause poisoning, such as uncooked green beans, unprocessed cassava, sprouted potatoes, pufferfish, etc.

Improper consumption. This is the most common cause of food poisoning in summer. This includes spoiled meat, eggs, dairy products, cold dishes, leftovers, etc. These spoiled foods are prone to breed salmonella, proteus, dysentery bacillus, staphylococcus, etc.

Ingestion. Children cannot distinguish between pesticides and rat poisons. If parents place these toxic substances where children can reach them, or even put them in beverage bottles or food packaging bags, they can easily be ingested by children, leading to poisoning. In addition, nitrite poisoning is often caused by mistakenly adding industrial salt to food instead of edible salt, leading to food poisoning.

What should I do if food poisoning occurs?

Drinking water: Immediately drink plenty of clean water to dilute the toxins.

Induce vomiting: Use your fingers to press on the throat and vomit as much food as possible from the stomach.

Seal: Seal the food that has been eaten to prevent more people from being harmed.

Call for help: Call for help from the emergency center immediately. The earlier you go to the hospital, the easier it will be to rescue. If it exceeds 2 hours, the poison will be absorbed into the blood, which will increase the difficulty of treatment.

How to prevent food poisoning?

We advocate "buy now, cook now, eat now". Food should be stored at low temperatures, tableware and cooking utensils should be cleaned and disinfected, and raw and cooked food utensils should be used separately; cooked food should be eaten in time and should not be left overnight or for the next meal.

Vegetables and fruits should be soaked and washed before consumption. Consumers should purchase fruits and vegetables at regular farmers' markets or supermarkets and pay attention to the notices on pesticide residue detection in the market. Soak fruits and vegetables for half an hour before washing and consumption.

Be more cautious when purchasing cooked stewed dishes and cold dishes. Pay attention to whether the sales place has complete anti-insect, anti-fly and anti-dust facilities, and whether the storage conditions (such as temperature control) and storage containers meet the hygiene requirements. Cooked food products that have been placed at a temperature below 60°C and above 10°C for more than 2 hours must be thoroughly reheated before consumption. If cooked food products are found to be spoiled or taste bad, they should be discarded.

Consume cold drinks in moderation. When buying frozen drinks, try to choose regular shopping malls and supermarkets. In addition to checking the label, production date, and shelf life, you should also check whether the packaging is intact. Do not buy products with broken or deformed packaging.

Be careful when eating aquatic products. Do not eat any fresh aquatic products as they are very easy to spoil after death. Do not eat cooked aquatic products after they have been left overnight.

Packaged foods should be consumed immediately. It is best to consume all kinds of foods in cans, bottles, cans, cartons, and vacuum packages immediately after opening.

Enhance self-prevention awareness. In daily diet, do not overeat, do not eat unclean or spoiled food, do not buy food sold by unlicensed vendors, do not eat suspicious food of unknown origin, etc., to prevent diseases from entering the body through the mouth.

(Medical Science Editorial Department)