Beware of food poisoning in hot weather
Claiming that milk and dairy products, creamy foods, chicken products, mayonnaise, egg food, meats that have not been cooked and stored under proper conditions, seafood are among the foods with the highest risk of spoilage and food poisoning, declared infectious disease specialist Dr. Meltem Öner Karaçay established the attention to the increase in the consumption of ready meals and the changes in lifestyle.
Karaçay said: “Food and water, which are basic necessities for survival, can harbor harmful microorganisms and cause disease if cleaning rules are not followed. Microorganisms, initially found in small amounts in food, can multiply rapidly under certain environmental conditions and reach levels that can cause disease. Even if it contains high levels of pathogenic microorganisms or their toxins, a food may not have a marked change in taste, smell and appearance. For this reason, foods that contain dangerous amounts of bacteria or toxins can be consumed unnoticed and symptoms of poisoning can occur.
Dr. Meltem Öner Karaçay explained the symptoms of food poisoning as follows:
“In foodborne diseases, the agent (i.e. microorganism) is usually taken orally, settles in the digestive tract and causes infection. The main symptoms of food poisoning are nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. It is not necessary to all these symptoms together. The severity of the symptoms can vary.”
Karaçay recalled that cleaning and hygiene rules should be followed at all stages from food purchase to consumption to prevent food from becoming contaminated and harmful to health, and summarized what needs to be done as follows:
“Healthy, undamaged, undamaged food should be selected and purchased. Expired products may not be used. Suspected foods that may cause illness, especially moldy ones, should not be consumed. Vegetables and fruits to eat raw, fresh vegetables and dried fruits to cook, fish and eggs should be thoroughly washed. Broken, cracked and dirty eggs should not be purchased. Minced meat and offal cannot be stored for a long time, so they must be consumed immediately.
If the meat is not consumed immediately, it can be kept in the freezer for 1 week and 3-4 months in the freezer. The storage conditions of food must be observed. Milk and dairy products, cream, seafood, cold cuts, canapés, sausage, salami, eggs and egg products, cream cakes and desserts, minced meat, sandwiches must be kept below 5 degrees at all times. Frozen products should not be re-frozen after thawing.
The proliferation of microorganisms in the tools and equipment used during preparation, storage and service must be prevented. Scratched, cracked or broken plates and glasses should not be used. During cooking, the microorganisms on the outside usually all die, but not all on the inside, so make sure that the insides of large pieces of meat are thoroughly cooked. Raw and cooked foods should be kept separate. Food sold in the open should not be purchased strictly. Meals should be prepared in quantities that can be consumed in a short time. Containers with lids must be used.”