|
||||||
|
Actually, mayonnaise is made with pasteurized products and contains lemon juice, which contains a high level of acidity, preventing the mayonnaise from spoiling. It is no more likely to spoil than any other food. However, it is unsafe to leave any perishable food out for more than two hours.This myth probably originated from when mayonnaise was made with raw eggs, which are often bacteria carriers. 2. Washing poultry and meat will help prevent foodborne illnesses. Washing poultry can remove surface pathogens, if done correctly. However, most people don’t wash their meat correctly, and end up cross-contaminating the kitchen. For this reason, its safer just to cook your meat to the correct temperature, which kills all surface and internal pathogens. 3. Using hand sanitizer is as effective as washing your hands. Partially true. In normal day to day life, using alcohol-based hand sanitizer is actually more effective than washing your hands, especially since many people do not wash their hands correctly. Hand sanitizer kills microbes, while hand washing is the mechanical removal of the microbes from your skin. However, if you’ve just worked with a bunch of raw hamburger, and you have a thick coating of fat over your skin, hand sanitizer won’t be very effective. The best solution is a combination: wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, dry them, and sanitize. 4. No pink color in meat means it is done and safe to eat. It might be done, but the only way to make sure is to check it with a thermometer. Meat color is determined by pH, not by temperature, and the only way to make sure that harmful pathogens are killed off by cooking is to cook food to the correct internal temperature. The FDA recommends the following: * Ground beef: 160°F (71°C) * Poultry: 165°F (74°C) * Pork: 160°F (71°C) 5. You can thaw meat safely in the refrigerator, microwave or on the counter. The safest place to thaw meat or poultry is in the refrigerator, which keeps it out of the temperature danger zone when bacteria are likely to multiply rapidly. If you need to thaw meat quickly, defrost it in the microwave and then cook it immediately. Never thaw meat on the counter—it increases the risk of cross-contamination and gives bacteria the opportunity to multiply quickly. 6. Contaminated food smells or tastes funny. If your food smells or tastes funny do not eat it, it may be spoiled. However, dangerous bacteria such as E. coli, Listeria or Salmonella have no odor and are undetectable to human senses. 7. If you begin to feel sick, it must be the last thing you ate. Actually, most people with a foodborne illness will not show symptoms anywhere from a few hours to more than a week after eating a contaminated meal. It is important to contact health officials if you think you contracted a foodborne illness. They can help trace the source of potential infections. 8. If you eat organic, you can worry less about contracting a foodborne illness. Wrong. You are just as likely to contract a foodborne illness eating organic lettuce as you are eating regular lettuce. However, eating certain organic foods might lower your consumption of pesticides. 9. Eating butter left out on the counter will make you sick. This one is partially true. Salted butter does not spoil nearly as quickly as other dairy products, but if you decide to leave it out cover it to prevent cross-contamination and use it within a few days. 10. If food has mold on it, it is still okay to eat as long as you cut the mold off. Visible mold usually indicates the food product has been thoroughly invaded by mold and should be thrown out. The mold spots that are visible to the naked eye are mature colonies of mold spores. The mold is not confined to these patches though. Invisible threads of immature mold extend away from the spores and into what may appear to be a fresh and uncontaminated portion of food. However, it is okay to cut off a large area around a mold spot on hard cheeses.  Sandeep Sequeira got the shock of his life when he opened a can of beans and found a lizard in it. Nothing can put you off your meal more than opening a can of beans and finding something staring back at you from inside the tin. For Sandeep Sequeira that nightmare was all too true. He had bought a can of Kimball baked beans from a grocery store in Bur Dubai on Wednesday morning. “When I got home I opened the can and I spotted something weird. So I took a spoon, placed the spoon under what was bothering me and lifted the spoon. It was half a lizard.” “I was lucky enough that it was right on top of the can. I was going to eat half the can only. I can only imagine if it was [right] at the bottom of the can.” He adds that the can didn’t seem damaged in any way. Sequeira contacted the municipality and a food inspector was sent to investigate the matter. “The inspector met with me and took the can and the lizard so that they can test it,” Sequeira said. “We have already pulled all Kimball baked bean cans with the same manufacture date and lot number as the one found to be contaminated,” Ahmad Al Ali, head of the Food Inspection Section at Dubai Municipality, told Gulf News on Sunday. “We were very surprised to see this kind of contamination in food products. It was fortunate that this was a contaminant that could be seen with the naked eye. However, such contaminants are very difficult to detect through port inspections,” Al Ali said. He said the municipality takes samples of imported food products to test before releasing the shipment. “To detect something like this you’d have to open every can.” Al Ali went on to say that they have contacted the regional supplier of Kimball foods to explain how the lizard ended up in the can. “We have also asked that we be supplied with a report of a full health and safety inspection of the Kimball factory in Malaysia, as well as evid-ence of improvement to ensure that there is no repeat of this kind of contamination.” Choithrams is the regional supplier for Kimball foods. Attempts by Gulf News to contact them went unanswered. “I’m just letting people know about this. It’s your job to tell your friends about this, because the other half of the lizard might be in their can,” Sequeira said. “The baked beans were cooked and canned in Malaysia, so the bottom half of the lizard might be anywhere in the world right now,” he added. The contaminated can was produced on January 13, 2010 and expires on July 13, 2011. Taking precautions: House lizard ‘not toxic’ Eating food with a dead lizard is not poisonous and you do not die consuming such contaminated food, doctors said. “Canned food is usually cooked in high temperature and will kill off any toxins,” said Dr Lalit Uchil, specialist family physician at the Welcare Ambulatory Care Centre. “The stories you hear about people dying after eating food with a dead lizard is only anecdotal,” he said. The lizard found in the can is apparently the common house lizard variety. While these are not poisonous, the live lizards are likely to carry certain bacteria which can cause salmonella, which results in vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps. That is why it is necessary to wash hands when you touch a house lizard. Have you ever come across this kind of situation? What were the ramifications? Did the authorities take action?  To reduce the risk of food poisoning, never leave cooked food at room temperature for more than two hours. Food poisoning happens when there is inflammation of the stomach and/or intestines caused by eating contaminated foods. Usually, symptoms present themselves within two to 24 hours after eating. Depending on the severity, sufferers of food poisoning may also experience fever and chills, bloody stools, and dehydration. Although food poisoning is usually a common and mild illness, it can sometimes be deadly, especially in children. Infectious bacteria are to blame Food poisoning is usually due to either toxic agents or infectious agents. Toxic agents are pesticides on fruits and vegetables, improperly prepared exotic foods (such as shellfish or barracuda), or poisonous mushrooms. Most food poisoning cases in Malaysia however, are caused by eating food contaminated with infectious agents. This means that the food contains harmful viruses, bacteria, and parasites. These bacteria release poison that causes inflammation of the lining of the intestines. E. coli, salmonella, shigella, and staphylococci are common infectious bacteria which cause food poisoning. Hygiene keeps contamination at bay Poor sanitation and improper food preparation are usually to blame for food contamination. Food handlers should practise good personal hygiene and ensure the food preparation area is clean. Contamination is also likely to occur when food is not properly stored, or kept at the wrong temperature. Here are some good food preparation practices to help you prevent food contamination: 1. Prepare food with care * Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly. * Do not prepare foods with bare hands if you have wounds. * For raw and cooked foods, separate utensils (knives/cutting boards) should be used. * Defrost foods completely before cooking. Thaw food under clean running water. * Cook foods (meat, poultry, egg and seafood) thoroughly. * Reheat cooked food thoroughly. Bring foods like soups and stews to boil. 2. Serve food well * Serve cooked foods as soon as possible in clean crockery. * Never leave cooked food at room temperature for more than two hours. 3. Store food properly * Separate raw food from cooked food in different packages when storing them in the refrigerator. * Cooked food should be properly packaged and stored in the refrigerator within two hours. * It is not advisable to give your child cooked food that has been prepared longer than two days previously. When to see the doctor Food poisoning should not be taken lightly as severe diarrhoea and vomiting can cause dehydration, which is very dangerous, especially if it happens in young children. Here’s when to see the doctor: * Your child is very young (age two years and below) * Persistent vomiting * Altered level of consciouness * Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhoea lasts for more than two days * Your child also has fever, chills, or bloody stools * Other family members or friends who ate the same thing are also sick * Your child cannot keep any liquids down * Your child does not improve within two days even though he’s drinking large amounts of fluids * Your child has other immune related disease or illness * Your child experiences slurred speech, muscle weakness, double vision, or difficulty swallowing Managing food poisoning If your child is suffering from mild food poisoning, in which he experiences short episodes of vomiting and minimal diarrhoea, symptoms will usually go away on its own in two to three days. You can help your child feel better by trying these home care tips: * Do not let your child have solid food until he stops vomiting, * Offer your child water frequently in small amounts to prevent dehydration. You can also add a special oral electrolyte solution (found in pharmacies). * Once vomiting has stopped, slowly reintroduce easy-to-digest foods. You may offer him rice, wheat, breads, potatoes, bananas, or low-sugar cereals. * It is not recommended to give children over-the-counter medicines to stop diarrhoea. * Check what your child has eaten over the pass twenty-four hours. * If in any doubt, seek medical help early. |
Sunday, 5 September 2010  Go to a car wash Going to a car wash is a lot more water efficient then washing your car at home.  |
|||||
|
Copyright © 2010 Food Safety Net - All Rights Reserved |
||||||
1. Mayonnaise spoils more readily than other foods.