The impact of weather on food safety

Arab Weather - The safety of food is greatly affected by the methods of transporting it, preparing it, and storing it, as the storage conditions of temperature and humidity affect the rate of growth of pathogenic microbes, so it is advised to adhere to the appropriate cooking conditions and storage conditions for each type of food according to its perishability, as it requires Store some types of food inside the refrigerator, and others inside the freezer, while other types of food can be stored at room temperature, and there is also a great impact on the methods of cooking food and the cleanliness of utensils and tools used during food preparation.

In this article, we show the most important things that must be taken into account to ensure food safety.

Food Safety

Food safety is achieved through several stages that must be observed and adhered to, starting with methods of transporting food and preparing it, to methods of storing it in the correct ways to preserve it from the multiplication of microbes in it, which makes it unsafe food to eat and helps in the formation of diseases.

• The importance of maintaining food safety
• The importance of preserving food safety lies through the following points:
• Protect the consumer from the risk of disease.
• Protect the consumer from the possibility of food allergy or death.
• Factors governing food safety
• The following are among the most important factors governing food safety:
• How fresh is the fresh food inside the store and after buying it when eating it.
• The length of time food has been stored in-store and at home.
• The nature of storage conditions in terms of temperature and humidity.
• The type of food and its perishability.
• The nature of the containers used to store food.

Types of food and storage conditions

Food storage conditions vary according to its perishability, as food is classified into the following categories and based on them, appropriate storage conditions are determined:

Perishable foods, perishable foods are poultry, fish, meat, eggs, dairy products, vegetables and fruits, in addition to cooked food, so they must be stored in the refrigerator or in the freezer. These types of foods can be kept at room temperature for two hours, and for one hour only if the temperature rises above 32 degrees Celsius.

Semi-perishable foods , flour and legumes, as well as dried fruits, are among the foods that keep their quality and safety for about six months to a year as they are stored in good conditions.

Non-perishable foods : Sugar and dried beans are non-perishable foods, but they can lose their quality if they are stored for a long time even if the storage conditions are appropriate. Therefore, it is advisable to store these types of foods in a cool, humid atmosphere and away from direct sunlight.

Steps to help keep food safe

By following the following points, you can maintain food safety:

Maintaining washing hands and utensils, disease-causing microbes accumulate and multiply in several places within the kitchen, the most important of which are hands, food, cooking and serving utensils, in addition to cutting boards, so it is recommended to follow the following points to find out the correct way to wash hands, utensils, and food:

Use soap and water to wash hands, taking into account washing the entire hand and making sure that the soap and water reach between the fingers and under the nails, after which the hands are dried with a clean tissue, the process of washing hands continues for about 20 seconds. Regular hand washing is recommended in all of these cases:

• Before, after, and during food preparation.
• Before and after eating food.
• After touching uncooked foods such as meats, poultry, fish and eggs.
• Before and after dealing with people with certain diseases, especially those that are contagious.
• After using the bathroom.
• After touching and dealing with animals, touching food intended for them, or removing dirt and excrement that comes out of them.
• Before and after touching wounds.
• After a sneeze or cough.

Washing cooking utensils, serving utensils, and cutting boards, it is advised to wash all the tools used in preparing and serving food in warm soapy water, especially those utensils in which uncooked meat, poultry or fish were placed, in addition to washing the fabrics used to dry dishes at high temperatures.

Remove the damaged parts of fruits or vegetables, then wash them with water only and dry them with a tissue designed for that, and a special brush can be used to wash fruits and vegetables.

Take care to separate cooking or cutting tools according to the nature of the foods, it is advised to separate cooking or cutting tools used for vegetables and fruits from those used for meat and poultry to avoid the transmission of microbes, and to get rid of damaged cooking utensils and cutting boards to maintain food safety.

Be careful to separate some types of food from other types, it is advised to separate meat, poultry, fish, and eggs from the rest of the food during shopping and in storage at home, as meat, fish and poultry are stored in airtight boxes or in plastic bags in the freezer, and eggs are stored in the unit Basic fridge and not in door as it is customary.

Cooking at sufficient temperatures to kill all microbes that may cause diseases , as a device can be used to measure the temperature of the food during cooking to ensure that the food is level and that it is ready, while the change in the color of the food is not a conclusive evidence of its readiness to eat, so it is advised to take into account the following things during cooking To maintain food quality and safety:

Maintaining food at temperatures of 60 ° C or more after cooking in the event that it is not eaten immediately after its preparation.

Adherence to the specified time indicated on the cover for the foods that can be prepared inside the microwave to ensure that the heat reaches all parts evenly, and the microwave can be stopped to move the food if this step is included in the instructions shown on the cover.

Storing foods inside the refrigerator or freezer , the refrigerator temperature should be set at 4.5 ° C or less and the freezer temperature at minus 18 ° C or less to ensure that bacteria do not grow as they grow at a temperature between 4.5 to 60 ° C. Freezers in the refrigerator to work on thawing them before cooking instead of placing them on kitchen surfaces to avoid the growth of disease-causing microbes, while you can use the microwave or use cold water to thaw the freezers just before cooking time.

Not eating expired foods, disease-causing microbes abound in expired foods, in addition to losing their nutritional value, so you must pay close attention to the expiration date of the product.

Food safety during the summer

Food storage conditions must be taken into great consideration during the summer for the following reasons:

1. Rising temperatures , high temperatures in the summer season contribute to an increase in the rates of chemical reactions, which leads to food spoilage and loss of its nutritional properties, and food spoilage can be detected by changing its properties, taste and smell.
2. Bacterial growth , bacterial growth rates increase with temperatures above 25 ° C. Many types of cans contain thermophiles that prefer to live and breed at high temperatures (50-55 degrees Celsius), so it is advised to avoid storing cans at high temperatures.
3. Sunlight, the sun’s rays contribute to a rapid change in the temperature of foods, which leads to them losing their nutritional value and damaging their external appearance, especially foods stored in glass containers.
4. The increase in outdoor activities , trips and outdoor activities abound in the summer, and cooking or barbecuing is done in a hot atmosphere and in places where there are no suitable conditions for preparing food, as there may be no refrigerators to store food or water to wash fruits and vegetables.

Food poisoning

Harmful substances that are produced from fungi and various types of bacteria, the most important of which are Salmonella, Basil sereis, Staphylococcus auris, and Camliobacter (in English: Salmonella, Bacillus Cereus, Staphylococcus Aureus and Campylobacter) cause food poisoning, as these types of bacteria grow more frequently in dairy products and eggs. Poultry, meats, and fish, especially uncooked ones. Children, the elderly, and pregnant women constitute the group most vulnerable to food poisoning, as symptoms of food poisoning such as diarrhea and cramps appear suddenly after eating contaminated food, about eight hours. Symptoms disappear quickly in many cases, but some of them require medical intervention to treat the condition.

Source: Cura