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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : June 7, 2019 3:39 PM IST
World Food Safety Day emphasizes on the necessity of clean eating to reduce the disease and death burden of contamination. © Shutterstock
According to the estimates of the World health organization, every year, 600 million people fall prey to foodborne diseases worldwide. That takes the global figure to almost 1 in 10 people. What is more alarming is this: Globally, 1,25,000 kids under 5 years of age lose their lives every year to diseases caused by contaminated food, carrying 40 per cent of the foodborne disease burden. Contaminated food is a threat to human health and socioeconomic development. In order to sustain life, decrease the burden of foodborne diseases and promote good health, we need to ensure that everyone has access to enough safe and nutritious food. This is the aim of the World Food Safety Day, which is being celebrated today for the first time. The United Nations General Assembly adopted this day in December 2018. The theme of this global campaign is 'Food Safety, everyone's business'.
There are many ways of food contamination. Insect infestation increased microbial count, pesticides and additives, non-permitted colours are the most common culprits that threaten food safety. However, your food may also get infected by rodents, contaminated premises, people suffering from infectious diseases, incorrect cooking and storage. On this World Food Safety Day, let's take a closer look at how our foods get contaminated and affect pour health.
A few years ago, the government had banned organochlorine pesticides such as DDE and dieldrin. But green leafy vegetables still house these culprits. Also, there are organophosphate pesticides in our veggies which can affect kids' brain development and nervous systems even in low doses. If you wash your fruits and veggies with dirty water, contaminated with pathogens from animal or human faeces, they will become unsafe. Irrigation with unhygienic water can also be the cause behind food contamination.
Poultry farms inject antibiotics to keep their chickens healthy. This has potentially increased the incidence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in them. Extensive use of antimicrobials in animal feed poses danger to our health as these resistant bacteria sneak into our bodies through these poultry. Moreover, animals contain many food-borne bacteria in their intestines. Those may make you sick too. Most food-borne pathogens take the faecal-oral route to enter our body. The faeces of an infected person harbour them and transfer these pathogens to others through food.
Your food may become contaminated by pathogens present in other foods also. Cross-contamination occurs while you prepare foods using the same utensils without washing them. Foods stored at a warm temperature help harmful bacteria to thrive, multiply and produce toxins. So, make sure that store food at a temperature below 10 C.
Foodborne infections generally lead to communicable diseases. You can get them after having foods or water contaminated by bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances. Pathogens such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli, or Campylobacter, which generally infest foods can lead to severe illnesses or even death. Chemical contamination can trigger acute poisoning and cause cancer as well.
World Food Safety Day emphasises on the necessity of clean eating to reduce the disease and death burden of contamination. You need to opt for the right foods to ensure this.
You are eating clean each time you are choosing foods that are minimally processed and have no added preservatives. For example, you can buy unpolished rice in place of the polished version fresh fruit instead of canned packs.
Another way to clan eating is washing them thoroughly before eating or cooking. Also, buy organic produce to avoid consumption of harmful pesticides and insecticides. While picking up organic foods from your departmental store, read the label carefully. Watch out for three logos: India Organic logo, Jaivik Bharat logo and the logos of the certification bodies like Ecocert, Control Union Certification body, Aditi Organics. The label of an organic food product should also mention what percentage of the finished product has organic ingredient. 100 per cent organic products will also have the USDA logo.
Reading food labels right helps you to make better and cleaner choices. While buying packaged food, check the ingredients list on the pack. Look out for hidden sugars in the forms of High Fructose Corn Syrup, glucose syrup, corn syrup, and maltodextrin. Avoid foods that come with hydrogenated vegetable oil, preservatives and artificial colour. While hydrogenated oil adds to the trans-fat, preservatives and artificial come with too many negative health impacts. Lastly and very importantly, you should look at the salt content of the food you are buying. As per new ruling of the FSSAI, foods with high sugar, fat and salt need to be labelled in red.
Apart from choosing the right foods, you need to cook and store them well to ensure food safety.
As we celebrate World Food Safety Day today by pledging to eat clean, we need to focus our attention on storage. If you do not preserve your food well, their chances of getting contaminated are very high. Here are smart storage tips for you
Always go for glass containers as plastic ones contain harmful chemicals. Shutterstock
Say no to plastic containers. They contain harmful chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, and glyme. So, shift to glass containers gradually. The best glass containers are those that come with glass leads as well.
The bulge in your can may be reflective of the fact that the food has gone bad. Shutterstock
Throw away those swollen cans or cracked jars. That bulge in your can may be the result of a chemical reaction between its metal lining and the citrus foods it houses. This reaction leads to the formation of hydrogen gas which is trapped in the can. That's how it gets swollen. ere could be two reasons for why a can of food gets swollen. A can with improperly sterilized food can also develop a bulge. When a food isn't sufficiently sterilized, anaerobic organisms develop and spoil the food. This process releases carbon-di-oxide making the can swell.
Preserve pre-cut fruits in thin plastic food wraps. Shutterstock
After cutting the fruits, put them an airtight container. You can also store them in thin plastic food wraps. You will get wraps specially made for cut fruits and vegetables. These specialized wraps are better options for keeping the fruits fresh than airtight containers.
Do not store fruits in the fridge for more than a week. Shutterstock
The right way to refrigerate certain fruits may be a little tricky. While you can put whole apples and pears in your fridge for over a week, don't preserve them for more than a day or two if you have cut these fruits. In case of grapes, wash and dry them thoroughly before refrigerating. Make sure you don't pluck keeping them inside the fridge. While storing curt watermelons and papaya in your refrigerator, wrap them in an air-tight container or a plastic wrap. Never refrigerate a papaya before it is ripe. In case of mangoes, make sure you sprinkle some salt while putting them inside the fridge. Avoid refrigerate bananas and oranges.
Store cold cuts in air-tight containers or pack them in aluminium wraps to reduce the chances of oxygenation and contamination. Shutterstock
Cold cuts are basically pre-cooked or marinated meat. Store them in air-tight containers or pack them in aluminium wraps to reduce the chances of oxygenation and contamination. The wrapping should be such that there isn't any chance of air coming in contact with the meat. Fold all the corners twice. Cold cuts can't retain their freshness once the packaging is opened. Have the preserved meat within three days of storing it.
You can refrigerate leftover milk for six weeks. Shutterstock
Farm fresh milk can be refrigerated right away. In case of packaged milk, open the packet, boil it on simmer before putting it in the fridge. Avoid reheating, however. You can refrigerate leftover milk for six weeks. But don't preserve tetra-pack for more than 3 days. You can store it in an air-tight glass container. For preserving paneer for 2-3 days, it is best to use a moist muslin cloth. Refrigerate cheese and butter in their original wraps.
Don't refrigerate milk-based sweets for more than two days. Shutterstock
Always remove store-bought sweets from the cardboard box and put them in a glass container. The sweet box that the shop gives isn't suitable for long-term usage. Moreover, they emit bad smell after a while. Don't refrigerate milk-based sweets for more than two days.
