The Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands would like to remind you that the best way to prevent foodborne illnesses is by adopting basic prevention measures, both in the preparation of food in our homes and in its consumption in restaurants and beach bars. The high temperatures of this time of year, the lack of hygiene in the kitchen and the incorrect handling of food, facilitate the proliferation of bacteria responsible for numerous tox infections, a large part of which occur in the home.
In addition, they emphasize that the elderly and young children are the groups at greatest risk. To avoid tox infections, when preparing food at home or in hospitality establishments, it is essential to take extreme hygiene measures and remember:
- Handle food hygienically
To avoid food contamination, it is essential to comply with hygiene guidelines in handling: frequent hand washing and always after going to the bathroom, protecting wounds on the hands, keeping the utensils to be used clean and preventing cross-contamination by avoiding contact of ready-to-eat foods with raw foods or contaminated materials (kitchen utensils, cutting boards, kitchen counter, etc.)
- Cook food with sufficient heat
During cooking, sufficient heat must be applied to guarantee the destruction of possible germs. It is particularly dangerous for poultry and minced meat to remain raw or undercooked.
- Do not leave prepared foods exposed to room temperature
Room temperature favors the rapid multiplication of bacteria and the formation of toxins in food. When cooked or prepared foods are not going to be consumed immediately, it is essential to keep them hot (at a temperature above 63° C) or cold (at a temperature below 8° C if we are going to consume it in 24 hours and below 4° C if we are going to store it longer).
- Cool cooked foods quickly and keep them cold
Cold slows down microbial growth. Therefore, always keep food and raw materials in the refrigerator or freezer: meats, viscera, sausages, eggs, fresh cheeses, sauces, milk and dairy products (yogurts, dairy desserts), pastries, cakes or any dessert that contains cream or egg in its composition, anchovies, pickled anchovies, pates, prepared foods such as salads, Russian salads, meatballs, meat with potatoes, croquettes, etc. In the case of packaged products, keep them at the temperature indicated on their label.
- Heat cooked foods sufficiently before consuming them
Cooked foods that are kept cold, before consumption must be heated quickly and reach a temperature equal to or greater than 65° C in the internal center of the food. If it is food that is consumed cold, it must be eaten without delay once removed from the refrigerator, in order to avoid any situation that favors bacterial multiplication.
- Precautions with foods that are consumed raw or cooked with little heat
Foods that are consumed raw or undercooked pose a greater risk, since cooking is what destroys the germs in food. Therefore, we must take special precautions such as buying raw materials in good conditions of freshness, observing that they comply with the rules of presentation, conservation and labeling and, in the case of fish, freezing it for a minimum of 24 hours at -20° C to inactivate the anisakis, a parasite that can cause us damage if we consume raw fish without prior freezing.
Disinfect raw vegetables with bleach for food use, following the instructions indicated by the bleach manufacturer on the label.
- Handle fresh eggs hygienically
Foods that have egg as an ingredient are responsible for numerous cases of salmonellosis each year. Special attention must be paid to its handling and a series of precautions must be taken: do not buy eggs with dirty, broken or cracked shells, after purchase, store the eggs in the refrigerator as soon as possible, prevent raw eggs from coming into contact with other foods, do not wash the eggshell, as we can promote the entry of germs into it; do not crack the egg on the edge of the plate or mixing container, never separate the whites from the yolks with the eggshell itself, cook the food made with egg quickly, do not use the containers and utensils used in the raw preparation to contain or handle the already cooked food.
- Avoid the presence of insects and rodents and control pets
It should not be forgotten that animals (pets, insects, rodents) can be carriers of pathogenic germs and be the origin of food contamination, so they cannot be where food is handled or stored. Sources of attraction for insects and rodents (garbage, unprotected food, stagnant water, etc.) must be avoided.
- Use only water suitable for human consumption
For the preparation of food, water suitable for human consumption must be used, from the public network, or from another source, provided that it is drinkable. In case of doubts about its potability, the water must be disinfected by boiling or with the addition of bleach that is suitable for water disinfection and dosed according to the instructions on the package.