Food poisoning can happen at your home kitchens too: Food safety expert explains

The monsoon season is here, and it's time to take several measures to ensure an extra layer of hygiene in our personal lives and in our food. Many people think that food can be adulterated only in hotels or restaurants, and that food cooked at home will always be safe to consume. However, adulteration does not discriminate between restaurant and home food, and food can spoil anywhere if basic safety principles are not followed. Dr S Lija, Nodal Officer of the Food Safety Department in Palakkad, gives a few safety tips. 

Inattention and poor hygiene during cooking and food storage often make food unsafe to eat. Chemical substances in food (mercury, lead), bacterial growth, dust, and contaminated water are the main causes of food poisoning. Pathogens can also spread from slaughterhouses operating in unhygienic conditions. Slaughtering diseased animals or birds, not cleaning the slaughtering surface, etc., can lead to food poisoning. 

Safe cooking practices at home
Chopping boards used for cutting food items are one of the major centres for the spread of bacteria. It is best to use separate boards for cutting fish, meat, vegetables, and fruits. They should also be cleaned and stored after use. Leftovers from cutting vegetables, fish, eggs, meat, etc., should not be piled up in the kitchen. Also, do not use spoiled vegetables, stale fish, eggs, meat, etc. Spoiled and mouldy food, expired items should not be eaten or used for cooking. Damaged food items should not be stored in the refrigerator. Not only stale food, but also food cooked for hours can be detrimental. If cooked food is kept for more than two hours, it is best to cool it down and store it at a controlled temperature. The kitchen should always be kept clean. Food should only be cooked and eaten in clean utensils.

Attention for food preparers
Hygiene is the most important preventive measure against food poisoning. The kitchen and its surroundings should always be kept clean. Food should be cooked only after thoroughly washing hands with soap. Food should be served only in clean utensils. Avoid fly nuisance. Vegetables should be thoroughly washed with salt and vinegar before use. Generally, bacterial growth and multiplication are completely inhibited in food stored below 5 degrees Celsius. Bacteria are destroyed, and the food is safe when cooked at temperatures above 70 degrees Celsius.

Time limits are also needed at home
Not only in hotels but also in food cooked at home, there is a time limit. Consuming food long after it has been cooked can cause food poisoning. While it may not cause severe poisoning in healthy individuals, it can quickly affect children, the elderly, and the sick.
a) Regular rice and curries are safest for a maximum of 4 hours. Items that spoil quickly, like ghee rice, biryani, fried rice, and meat dishes, are safe for up to 2 hours, after which microorganisms begin to grow.
b) If you intend to use it for a longer period, it should be transferred to the refrigerator immediately after cooking.
c) When reheating, it should be boiled for a longer time than when it was previously cooked. Simply warming it to remove the chill is not enough. If the food was cooked at 50 degrees Celsius, it needs to be heated to 75 degrees Celsius when reheating.