Do you know? Kaimen┋Five key points of food safety, remember them

Writing expert: Zhang Yajing, chief nutritionist at Urumqi First People's Hospital, member of the Chinese Nutrition Society, and director of the Xinjiang Nutrition Society.

Review experts: 1. Chen Xinle, former chief physician of food hygiene at the Autonomous Region Center for Disease Control and Prevention, popular science expert at the Autonomous Region Association for Science and Technology, Chinese registered nutritionist, and the fifth director of the Xinjiang Nutrition Society

2. Jin Yingzi, professor at Xinjiang Light Industry Vocational and Technical College, registered dietitian in China, executive director of Xinjiang Nutrition Society, member of the expert committee of the Xinjiang Food Safety Committee

Food is the most important thing for people, and food safety is the first priority. Food safety is related to everyone's physical health and life safety. Each of us is a food consumer, and food safety is our common pursuit. How to eat healthily and safely? Let us learn the "Five Key Points of Food Safety" issued by the World Health Organization.

Tip 1: Keep it clean

1. Develop good hygiene habits and wash your hands frequently. We have known since childhood that we should wash our hands before and after meals. In addition, we should wash our hands before and during food preparation, after handling raw meat, poultry, seafood, eggs and vegetables, after touching pets, handling garbage, answering the phone, and before handling cooked food. When washing your hands, use running safe water, wash your hands with hand sanitizer or soap, and then wipe your hands with a paper towel or a clean towel.

2. Keep tableware and kitchen utensils clean, and steam and disinfect them frequently, especially rags, which should be cleaned and disinfected frequently, and replaced with new ones regularly. Do not let them become a source of pollution in the kitchen.

3. Keep the kitchen environment clean and well-ventilated. Clean the floor and sink regularly to prevent insects, rats and other animals from entering the kitchen and approaching food. Do not allow pets at home to play in the kitchen.

Why do this?

Most microorganisms do not cause disease, but many dangerous organisms can be found in soil, water, animals, and humans. Hands, rags, and especially cutting boards and knives can carry these pathogenic microorganisms, which can contaminate food and cause foodborne illness.

Point 2: Separate raw and cooked food

1. Separating raw and cooked food means separating raw materials that need to be heated and food that can be eaten directly, to prevent pathogenic bacteria carried on raw food from contaminating food that is eaten directly and causing foodborne diseases.

2. When using containers to store food in the refrigerator, especially raw meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, vegetables, etc., they should be packed in plastic bags, paper bags or suitable containers, and then placed in the lower or bottom layer of the refrigerator's refrigerator or freezer. Dairy products, cooked meat products, canned food, beverages and fruits that can be eaten directly should be placed on the upper layer of the refrigerator's refrigerator or freezer to avoid contact between raw and cooked foods.

3. Bowls, plates and other utensils used to hold raw food must be cleaned and disinfected before they can be used to hold cooked food, cold dishes and other ready-to-eat foods.

4. The knives and cutting boards used to process raw and cooked food should be separated, and they should be cleaned separately after use to avoid cross contamination.

Why do this?

Raw foods, especially meat, poultry, and seafood, and their juices, may contain dangerous microorganisms that can contaminate other foods during food preparation and storage.

Key point 3: Cook thoroughly

1. It is not recommended to eat raw or half-cooked meat, eggs and aquatic products. When eating aquatic products such as shellfish and crabs, it is unsafe to eat them raw, half-cooked, soaked in wine, vinegar or salt and then eat them directly. Pregnant women, children, the elderly and other people with low immunity should try to avoid the habit of eating raw food.

2. Vegetables such as green beans and day lily must be fried thoroughly, otherwise they will cause poisoning.

Raw and undercooked green beans contain saponins, hemagglutinins, trypsin inhibitors, etc. If they are not fully cooked, the toxins are not completely destroyed and they can easily cause poisoning after consumption. Pay attention to the following points when cooking: remove the tips and pods of green beans at both ends, ensure that the heat is even during cooking, add an appropriate amount of water and cook for about 10 minutes, so that the green beans lose their original green color and bean smell before eating. If you want to eat it cold, you must also cook it thoroughly first.

Fresh daylily contains colchicine, which can cause poisoning. You can remove the colchicine by blanching it in hot water, soaking it in clean water, or drying it to avoid poisoning.

3. The correct cooking method and appropriate temperature can kill almost all harmful microorganisms. Food should be cooked thoroughly and the core temperature of the food should reach above 70°C. The principle of cooking thoroughly is generally to keep it for about 10 minutes after boiling, especially for large pieces of meat, such as a whole chicken, which takes longer. If you use a low heat to simmer, you must extend the time to allow the food to be thoroughly cooked.

4. Leftovers and food taken out of the refrigerator should be thoroughly heated before eating. Some psychrophilic bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes and Yersinia enterocolitica can still grow, so food taken out of the refrigerator should be thoroughly heated or cleaned before eating. It is best not to reheat leftovers more than once.

Why do this?

Proper cooking kills almost all microorganisms, and studies have shown that cooking food to 70°C can help ensure it is safe to eat. Foods that require special attention include ground meats, roasts, large joints of meat and whole poultry.

Tip 4: Keep food at a safe temperature

1. It is recommended to eat cooked food promptly, and cooked food should not be stored at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

2. Safe temperature refers to the temperature that is not suitable for the growth and reproduction of microorganisms. Under the conditions of below 5℃ and above 60℃, most microorganisms can slow down their growth and reproduction or stop growing. That is, 5℃~60℃ is the dangerous temperature at which food is unsafe.

3. Before putting livestock meat, poultry meat, seafood, etc. into the freezer, it is best to cut them into small pieces and pack them separately. Take small packages of food before each processing to avoid repeated freezing and thawing, which will accelerate spoilage or cause the destruction and loss of nutrients. It is recommended to thaw frozen food in a microwave oven, in the refrigerator or under clean running water.

4. Store food in the refrigerator after it has cooled down. If you put warm food directly into the refrigerator, the refrigerator will be overloaded and the temperature in the center of the food will not drop quickly. Pathogens may take this opportunity to multiply in large numbers to a sufficient number to cause poisoning. Therefore, wait until the food cools down to room temperature before storing it in the refrigerator.

5. Clean the refrigerator regularly. "The refrigerator is not a safe." Whether it is refrigerated or frozen, do not store food for too long. Over time or damaged packaging can easily cause cross contamination or cause food to spoil and lose its best use value. Homemade food should not be stored in the freezer for more than one month; even if pre-packaged food is within the shelf life, it is best not to exceed 6 months. Buy and eat now. It is best not to eat food that has been stored for too long.

Why do this?

If food is stored at room temperature, microorganisms can multiply rapidly. Keeping the temperature below 5°C or above 60°C can slow down or stop the growth of most microorganisms.

Point 5: Ensure the safety of water and food raw materials

1. Buy fresh and healthy food and ingredients in markets or supermarkets with complete licenses and good reputation. Learn to read food labels and pay attention to production date, shelf life, storage conditions, etc. Do not eat food that has exceeded its shelf life. Do not eat canned food if its packaging is bulging or deformed.

2. Do not pick or eat wild mushrooms, and be cautious when picking and eating wild vegetables.

Do not eat wild mushrooms at will. Since poisonous mushrooms look similar to ordinary mushrooms, it is difficult to distinguish them with the naked eye. Relying on the Internet and folk experience alone cannot guarantee that you will not pick poisonous mushrooms by mistake. At present, there is no simple scientific method to identify whether wild mushrooms are poisonous, so individuals should not eat wild mushrooms.

Do not pick, buy or eat wild vegetables. Do not pick wild vegetables near roads, ditches, factories, garbage dumps or fields that have just been sprayed with pesticides.

3. Raw fruits and vegetables should be washed with safe water. Do not use untreated river water, rain water or snow water to wash or process food to avoid foodborne or waterborne diarrhea caused by environmental pollution.

Why do this?

Raw materials, including water and ice, may be contaminated by microorganisms or chemicals. Toxic substances may also be formed in damaged and moldy food. Careful selection of raw materials and reasonable measures, such as washing and peeling, can reduce the occurrence of danger.