World Food Safety Day 2022: How to Prevent Food Poisoning and Food borne Illnesses

Posted on: Jun 9, 2022 | | Written by:

World Food Safety Day 2022: How to Prevent Food Poisoning and Food borne Illnesses

Food is the fuel that your body needs every day to function smoothly, and consuming adequate amounts of safe and healthy foods is importantfor promotingoverall health and wellbeing.Different kinds of fruits, vegetables and meats are packed with vital vitamins, minerals, proteins andother nutrients that not only help you stay strong and healthy, but also keep many conditions at bay. However, if the foods are unclean and undercooked, they can harm your health instead of doing any good. In most cases, such foods lead to food poisoning,micronutrient deficiencies, poor health, impaired growth and development and other conditions, thereby affecting your overall wellbeing.

So, keeping the importance of food safety in mind, World Food Safety Day is celebrated on 7th June every year to increase awareness about different food-borne conditions and the ways to prevent them. Since foodborne illnesses cause serious health issues, you must take precautions to ensure food safety always. What’s more, keep a goodmedical insurance policy handy for those uncertain times. A good health plan will take care of your hospital bills and associated expenses, thereby keeping your savings intact.

Here are 4 ways to protect yourself and your loved ones from food illnesses or food-borne diseases:

1. Cleanliness

Unclean foods and surfaces are common causes of food-borne conditions. Here are some points to keep in mind:

• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before cooking or eating anything.

• Wash fruits and vegetables properly with water before cooking or consuming them.

• Keep the kitchen countertops clean always. Wipe them with soapy water every day to prevent food and dirt deposits.

• Keep cutting boards, knives and other kitchen tools clean. Wash them with soapy water after using them.

• Use clean tools for different foods. For instance, if you need to cut different food items, wash the kitchen knife after cutting each food item.

• Handle different foods the right way to prevent cross contamination.

• Do not touch raw foods with your hands. Use the right utensils or disposable gloves instead.

• Wipe the lids of canned foods properlybefore openingthem.

• Avoid washing eggs, meat, fish and poultry in the sink to prevent the bacteria from spreading.

2. Separate or segregate

Keep raw foods and meats separately to check the spread of germs and prevent food poisoning.

• When shopping for foods, keep seafood, raw meat, eggs and poultry away from fruits, vegetables and other food items.

• Store fruits and vegetables away from raw meat.

• Use separate cutting boards for fruits and raw meat.

• Do not keep fruits or raw vegetables and raw meat on the same plate.

3. Cook well

If you consume different types of meat, you must cook them at the right temperature to kill the germs. Raw or partially cooked meat carries bacteria which can cause food poisoning. While mild cases of food poisoning get resolved without treatment, serious ones can require hospitalisation. Hence, make sure you take a good medical insurance plan and stay covered against a range of medical expenses.

• Chicken, turkey and duck should be cooked at 165° F.

• Pork, beef, fish and lambrequire a temperature of 145° F for proper cooking.

• Keep a food thermometer handy to check the temperature.

4. Chill or freeze

After cooking, keep food in the refrigerator or freezer within 2 hours.

• If you are buying raw meat or chopped vegetables from the store, keep them in the fridge as soon as you reach home. Do not keep food outside for more than 2 hours.

• Keep cooked food in the refrigerator or freezer within 1-2 hours of cooking them, especially during the summer months.

• Thaw food the right way. You can either keep it in the fridge for a while or thaw it under cold water or in the microwave. Do not take it out from the freezer and keep it outside for long. This can lead to microbial growth and food poisoning.

• If you are in a hurry, you can also cook food when they are in their frozen state.

• Keep marinated foods in the refrigerator.

Who are at a higher risk of food-borne diseases?

While anyone can fall sick after eating undercooked or spoilt foods, the following people are at a higher risk of suffering from food poisoning and other foodborne conditions:

• Elderly adults

• Pregnant women

• People with pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes, cancer and kidney conditions.

Conclusion

These are some simple yet important things to keep in mind to avoid different foodborne conditions. Apart from that, you must make healthy food choices to promote your overall wellbeing. Also, buy a good medical insurance policy for yourself and your loved ones and stay financially covered always. In case of a medical emergency, the insurance company will cover your hospital bills and save you from untimely expenses and hassles.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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