Foodborne illnesses are caused by dangerous microorganisms and/or toxic chemicals. These can multiply very quickly, if food is kept at room temperature; however, they can be prevented with correct and adequate handling of food, complying with the following recommendations:
Hygiene when handling and eating food
It is essential to start with the correct hand washing; Subsequently, you must disinfect the area where the food will be handled, as well as the cutlery and surfaces that you will use during preparation.
Wear drinking water to wash hands, fruits and vegetablesand utensils to prepare meals, ice or juices.
Disinfect fruits and vegetables before using them, especially those that will be eaten raw. To do this, you must immerse them in water with 0.01% bleach for 10 minutes, then you can discard the used water and rinse the food with plenty of drinking water.
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Keep food at safe temperatures
Prepare food in small quantities, to reduce leftovers.
Cool cooked food and different prepared dishes as soon as possible, and keep them below 5 °C, thus preventing microorganisms from multiplying rapidly. Above 5 °C and below 65 °C, the multiplication of microorganisms becomes faster.
Do not leave cooked food at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Not defrost food at room temperature. You can do it the night before preparing, moving from the freezer to the refrigerator to thaw at safe temperatures.
The thawed You can also quickly make it in the microwave.
Microwave ovens can be used to defrost food, but they can leave hot spots where microorganisms can grow. Food thawed in the microwave should cook immediately.
Keep food very hot (above 65°C) before serving.
cook food well
Correctly cook food, especially meat, chicken, eggs and fish. When heating foods, such as broths and stews, make sure they reach at least 70°C. Red meat and chicken should not have red parts inside.
Reheat food until piping hot, reaching 70°C, because proper cooking kills almost all dangerous microorganisms.
Cooking food up to a temperature of 70 °C guarantees safety for consumption.
food preservation
Food preservation practices must ensure their protection when handling them, in order to avoid contamination.
Keep them refrigerated until the moment of serving them, whether they are salads that are eaten directly (especially if they have mayonnaise), or those prepared foods that must be reheated until they reach cooking temperature. Prepared foods that are not
Prepared meals that were not consumed should be stored in the refrigerator immediately after clearing the table. the
place the food in clean containers with lids. You can use plastic wrap to cover food in containers if you don’t have it.
These preparations can be kept for up to 48 hours in the refrigerator. If they contain potatoes, creams or eggs, maximum up to 24 hours.
Food should not remain out of the refrigerator for more than two hours before being consumed, reheatedrefrigerated or placed in the freezer.
For foods that need refrigeration, do not break the cold chainespecially if you will transport them outside your home (festivities, beach, etc.), because in summer food is more susceptible.
In the event of a power outage, try not to constantly open the refrigerator door, since food can be stored in it for up to approximately 4 hours during a blackout.
Maintain order in purchases
When buying the foodsit is advisable to follow a order.
Start shopping with the products that do not need refrigeration and, finally, the food that is in the gondolas and in the cold equipment, this will allow avoiding exposing the food to unsafe temperatures for a long time, preventing cutting the supply chain. cold to maintain safety conditions and the quality of food products.
During purchases, it is important to check the expiration dates, taking care that the product containers are in good condition. Do not buy if the package is broken or cracked. The cans must not be rusted, beaten, flattened, or bulgedsince this can mean that the product is contaminated by bacteria and/or toxins and, therefore, could produce a poisoning.
