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Public Health Department's reminder on Food Hygiene
29/07/1999
The Department of Public Health, now that the summer season is in full swing, reminds the public of the risks of partaking of food which has been subjected to unhygienic storage or cooking. The consumer should be fully aware that purchasing of food from unreliable retailers or caterers may give rise to serious illnesses. It is likewise important to practise basic food hygiene principals within the home, especially in view of warmer ambient temperatures.
The Department of Public Health advises consumers that they should shop wisely by avoiding food retailers who blatantly disregard basic food hygiene principals. A typical case is the retail of fresh fish, a common summer food commodity. Before purchasing one should ensure that the fish hawker has taken all possible steps to keep the temperature of the fish to a minimum. This can be ascertained if the fish is surrounded by large quantities of ice flakes.
One should also be aware of the many risks associated with the consumption of food from mobile kiosks, which during the ‘festa' season mushroom in various towns and villages. Consumers should think twice before patronising these food outlets and they should only consume food from those kiosks which are visibly taking all reasonable measures to reduce health risks.
In addition, the Department of Public Health reminds all food handlers that they should be guided by the following ten basic food hygiene principals:
2. preparing and storing all uncooked food separately from cooked food;
3. keeping refrigerators at an adequately controlled temperature (below 5° C);
4. keeping the kitchen environment clean, by washing worktops, chopping boards and utensils between handling raw and cooked foods;
5. thawing frozen meats and poultry in the refrigerator before cooking (unless cooking instructions indicate otherwise);
6. cooking foods thoroughly and re-heating to piping hot;
7. cooking meat products thoroughly and until the juice runs clear (extra care should be taken during barbecues);
8. keeping hot food hot and cold food cold and rapidly cooling down food intended for chilling;
9. checking of ‘use by' and ‘best before' dates;
10. keeping pets away from the kitchen.
Anyone suffering from gastrointestinal symptoms should contact his/her general practitioner or a Health Centre. Cases of food poisoning are to be reported to the Department of Public Health on Tel. No. 332235, from Monday to Friday, during normal office hours, or the on-call Health Inspector, via St. Luke's Hospital Switchboard, after hours and on weekends and public holidays.
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