The Ministry of Health has issued a series of recommendations to prevent food poisoning during the Christmas holidays, with special emphasis on preparations containing eggs and fish, which it advises to be gutted immediately, cooked sufficiently, or frozen if to be eaten raw.
In a statement, Health reminds that the best way to prevent foodborne illnesses during the Christmas holidays is to adopt elementary preventive measures, both in food preparation at home and in consuming them in catering establishments.
And it emphasizes that children, pregnant women, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals are the groups at highest risk from foodborne illnesses.
It underlines the importance of frequent hand washing, which is mandatory after using the restroom, protecting hand wounds, keeping kitchen utensils clean, and avoiding any contact between raw and cooked or prepared foods, especially on tables, knives, or cutting boards.
Recommendations
During cooking, the heat must be sufficient to ensure the destruction of potential germs that can cause illness. It is particularly dangerous for poultry and minced meats to be raw or undercooked, warns health authorities. High ambient temperatures favor the rapid multiplication of bacteria and the formation of toxins in food, so when cooked or prepared foods are not to be consumed immediately, it is essential to keep them hot or cold. If a cooked or prepared food is not to be consumed immediately, it should be refrigerated or frozen as soon as possible, warns Health authorities, which include in this list meats, offal and cured meats, eggs, fresh cheeses, sauces, milk and dairy products, sweets, cakes and any dessert with cream or eggs. It is also advisable to keep salads, potato salads and all those foods that are to be consumed cold in the refrigerator, prepared meals such as meatballs, meat with potatoes or croquettes, semi-preserved foods such as anchovies, anchovies in vinegar, cooked ham or pâtés. Cooked foods that are kept cold should be heated quickly before consumption, reaching a temperature equal to or higher than 65 degrees Celsius in the center of the food. If it is food that is consumed cold, it should be consumed without delay once removed from the refrigerator, to prevent ambient temperature from favoring bacterial multiplication. Foods that are consumed raw or undercooked pose a greater risk, because these foods do not benefit from the germicidal effect of cooking heat. Therefore, special precautions should be taken, such as buying raw materials in good condition of freshness, observing that they comply with the rules of presentation, conservation and labeling, and in the case of fish, it must be frozen at -20 degrees for a minimum of 48 hours to avoid the presence of the anisakis parasite. When preparing salads, Health authorities recommend immersing vegetables to be consumed raw, such as lettuce and tomato, in water with a few drops of bleach for a few minutes, then rinsing them with running water. For this purpose, bleaches should be used whose label specifies that they are suitable for disinfecting vegetables or for drinking water. Otherwise, it is recommended to pay special attention to the handling of foods that include eggs among their ingredients and to take precautions such as not purchasing eggs whose shells show dirt, cracks or breaks. It is also advisable to store them in the refrigerator, prevent raw eggs from coming into contact with other foods, do not wash eggs because we can favor the penetration of germs into them, do not break the egg on the edge of the plate or container where it is to be beaten or prepared; and never separate the whites from the yolks with the eggshell itself. These foods must be cooked quickly and the containers and utensils used in the preparation of raw eggs should not be used to contain or handle already cooked foods. When visiting catering establishments, the Ministry of Health sets a series of guidelines, such as **observing the hygiene and cleanliness of the premises** and ensuring that food is presented in refrigerated display cases and that there is running water. Also, that the personnel handling food must **have clean and exclusive work clothes**, as well as a cap or hair protector; ensure that the hands of the catering staff do not touch glasses or cutlery by the part that will come into contact with the consumer's lips. And, finally, **reject food that is stored at room temperature** without protection or without a refrigerated display case, or when the appearance of the establishment or its staff is not clean and hygienic.