Every year, the World Health Day is celebrated on April 7. The focus on this year’s initiative is food safety and its slogan is “From farm to plate, make food safe.”
According to the World Health Organization, over 200 diseases are spread through food. Latest statistics show that about 2 million people die every year because of contaminated water or food. In comparison, Qatar has a population of a little over 2.3 million.
The quality and safety of food available in the United Arab Emirates performed well on EIU’s latest Food Security ranking. Food in the UAE ranked third in MENA with a quality and safety score of 73.2. Nevertheless, this does not mean that food safety is not an issue in the country.
The organization also explains that food can be contaminated in any of its production stages. The fact that food production is becoming more and more globalized is also believed to be a great challenge when it comes to food safety. Therefore, it is vital for consumers to be well-informed on all the food safety practices. The World Health Organization advises all households to follow the five basic keys to safer food at home.
Key 1 – Keep Clean
One of the most important rules when it comes to safer food is to keep everything clean. This involves not only washing or keeping the food in clean and fresh condition, but to also wash your hands before handling it. In addition to that, consumers must always sanitize the surfaces and equipment they will use when preparing their food. Also, a home’s kitchen should be a pet- insect- and pests-free area. This will help you keep dangerous microorganism found on utensils, wiping cloth and hands away from our organism.
Key 2 – Never Mix Cooked and Raw Food
Make sure you avoid the contact between prepared and raw foods. The latter can contain dangerous microorganisms that can transfer onto other food in your home. Therefore, store raw poultry, seafood and raw meat separately from other foods. Don’t forget to use separate utensils and equipment for them as well.
Key 3 – Cook Thoroughly
Cook food thoroughly to kill off all the nasty microorganisms. Follow the 70°C rule. This means to boil food at least at that temperature. That is especially important when you are preparing seafood, meat, eggs and poultry.
Key 4 – Keep Food at Safe Temperatures
Never leave cooked food at room temperatures for over 2 hours. Always refrigerate it below 5°C. Another thing you should remember about cooked food it to preheat it at a temperate of over 60°C before you serve it. Lastly, do not store food for too long it the refrigerator. Even below 5°C, microorganisms do not stop multiplying. The only difference is that they do that at a slower speed.
Key 5 – Use Safe Water
Safe food always goes hand-in-hand with safe water. Washing fruits and vegetables with dirty water could be even worse than not washing them at all.
Since the best prevention technique is always knowledge, make sure you remember and follow these key food safety rules.
