The Ministry of Health gave advice on how to protect yourself from poisoning in the heat and "blackout"
Kyiv • UNN
During heat and power outages, to avoid food poisoning, prepare food carefully, especially meat, eggs and seafood, avoid cooking extra meals, do not defrost food at room temperature, and use proven water and fresh produce.
In order to protect yourself from food poisoning during heat and blackouts, it is necessary, in particular, to thoroughly fry or boil food, especially meat, eggs and seafood, do not prepare dishes with a reserve and do not defrost food at room temperature. Such advice was provided to the journalist UNN by the Chief State Sanitary doctor of Kiev - general director of the state institution "Kiev City Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of health of Ukraine".
So, according to him, for safe food consumption in conditions of heat and blackouts, it is necessary to maintain cleanliness.:
- wash your hands before choosing food or cooking. If there is no water when the lights go out in your home, you can use alcohol-containing hand sanitizers, which are well known to us during the COVID-19 pandemic, wash your hands after going to the toilet, or if there is no water, use wet wipes and alcohol-containing hand sanitizers;
- wash and disinfect all surfaces and kitchen utensils used for cooking;
- protect your kitchen and food from insects, rodents, and other animals.
It also recommends separating raw food from ready-made food.:
- separate raw meat and seafood from other foods;
- use separate kitchen accessories, such as knives and cutting boards, to process raw food.
- store food in a sealed container to avoid contact between Raw and finished food.
Prepare your food thoroughly:
- thoroughly fry or boil food, especially meat, eggs and seafood;
- for cooking, it is better to use butter, Not Butter. The dishes themselves should be made as simple as possible, with a minimum amount of ingredients. Well-boiled or stewed cereals and meat are best preserved. You can also bake boiled pork, which will be preserved due to the presence of salt in the composition as a preservative. Long-term storage products can be placed in containers for a single meal
- bring the dishes to a boil so that they are cooked at least 70 °C.
- the juice of meat or poultry during cooking should be clear, not pink;
- preheat the cooked food thoroughly.
Also among the tips is to store food at a safe temperature:
- do not prepare dishes with a reserve, it is advisable to eat dishes that have been prepared immediately (do not leave the cooked food at room temperature for more than 2 hours);
- keep cooked meals hot (60 °C) until serving;
- do not defrost food at room temperature;
- in case of a power outage, keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed, because in this case, food remains safe for up to 4 hours in the refrigerator and up to 48 hours in a full freezer (24 hours in a half – empty freezer). If there is no electricity for 4 hours or longer, it is better to group Food together in the freezer. The refrigerator should have a temperature of +4°C or lower, in the freezer – no higher than -4 °c;
- Don't check the food for taste. If you have any doubts about its safety, it is better to throw it away immediately. Also get rid of foods that spoil quickly. This applies to meat, fish, sliced fruits and vegetables, eggs, dairy products and their leftovers if they were stored for more than 4 hours without electricity or a cold source.
- products that have a temperature of no more than +4°clogs on which ice crystals are stored can be safely re-frozen or cooked.
It is forbidden to re-freeze products from freezers that have been thawed! A product that has been thawed and then frozen again poses a potential threat to the body: pathogenic bacteria can multiply in it during defrosting. This applies to both vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, and ice cream.
In addition, it emphasizes the use of safe water and fresh food:
- use clean or purified water. In case of lack of Water Supply, take care of the necessary supply of bottled drinking water of industrial production or use water collected from proven water supply sources (pump rooms, wells, etc.) after subjecting it to additional boiling;
- wash vegetables and fruits thoroughly, especially if you eat them raw. To do this, in case of lack of water supply, it is also necessary to have a supply of clean bottled drinking water of industrial production;
- do not use products that have expired.
