Five keys to enjoying Easter buffets
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) today (April 2) appealed to people to heed food safety when enjoying buffets with family and friends during the Easter holidays.
A CFS spokesman said buffet patrons should be particularly careful with high-risk foods such as oysters and sashimi, which are eaten raw.
"If not sourced or handled properly, these foods could be contaminated with pathogens, such as Norovirus, Hepatitis A virus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which may in turn cause food poisoning," the spokesman said.
To prevent food-borne diseases and to enjoy Easter buffets safely, people are advised to follow the Five Keys to Food Safety:
Choose
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* Patronise licensed and reliable restaurants, and pay attention to their hygiene conditions and staff's personal hygiene.
Clean
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* Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before eating and after going to the toilet, and dry them with a paper towel;
* Use a clean plate to take food each time. Don't use the same plate repeatedly.
Separate
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* Do not use hands to take food. Use separate utensils to handle raw and cooked foods to avoid cross-contamination;
* Make sure that chefs who cook food at the spot for customers follow the "separate" practice when handling raw foods.
Cook
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* If food does not look properly done, ask the chefs to cook it thoroughly.
Safe Temperature
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* Hot dishes should be kept at above 60℃, and cold dishes at 4℃ or below;
* Finish food as soon as possible to avoid keeping it at room temperature for a long time;
* If a cold dish is not cold, a hot dish is only lukewarm or the food looks or tastes abnormal, do not consume it.
People should maintain a balanced diet and not overeat. The elderly, children, pregnant women and people with weakened immunity should avoid consuming high-risk foods like raw foods or cold dishes.
Please visit the CFS website (www.cfs.gov.hk) for more food safety tips.
Ends/Thursday, April 2, 2009
