In every nation, there is always some kind of a commotion about food safety and food poisoning. Some countries have better control than others and end up recalling the spoiled food item before the consequences are worth mentioning. Everyone has experienced or knows someone who might have had some kind of food poisoning. But, who is to be blamed when the food becomes sickening and could be harmful upon consumption?
One must understand that there are 4 stages that come before the stage where you have a delicious meal in front of you, read to be ingested!
Stage 1: Buying the Food (When buying the ingredients of your meal, you have to know the source from where you are buying them. Some raw meat and vegetables can be already spoiled with microorganisms that can survive the preparation time, the washing time, and lead to cross-contamination…).
Stage 2: Transporting the Food (Even after buying the perfectly healthy ingredient, you can still spoil it if you are not careful about time spent in the heat. Most dairy products and meats can become hazardous on human consumption if not well transported. Please, do not buy these food items and go for a long ride in a hot weather).
Stage 3: Preparing the Food (This is a critical stage. Food has to be washed thoroughly. Meats have to be separated from fruits and vegetables to avoid any cross-contamination. You have to keep washing your hands and utensils upon handling raw vegetables, fruits and meats).
Stage 4: Storing/Presenting the Meal (After cooking your meal, you could have made all necessary steps to make sure the food is safe to eat. This last step can jeopardize every single precaution you could have taken. Every food item has a shelf life which is a time and certain temperature during which is can still be safe for consumption. When these are not well respected, food poisoning can occur).
Here is what you need to know:
- Bacteria are dormant (inactive) below the temperature of 5 degrees Celcius. Food need to be kept in the fridge at a temperatures of 5 degrees or less.
- Bacteria are very active and ready to multiply between the temperatures of 5 and 60 Degrees Celcius. This is when the food starts becoming poisonous! Make sure your food is kept at these temperature the minimum possible.
- Bacteria are destroyed above 60 degrees Celcius. This is the stage of heating/reheating the food.
- Make sure your food is well-cooked.
- In case you are eating raw meats, make sure you incorporate some alcohol or lemonades. Eating onions and garlic can be protective to a certain extend!
