Due to Covid pandemic, food safety has gained even more importance. Here are some tips to ensure food safety.
Food safety is one of the public health issues and a vital step towards achieving food security, during this pandemic. This is not a food-borne infection, According to WHO, there is not any indication which shows that food is a mode of transmission for the COVID-19 sickness.
Every year on JUNE 7, food safety day is celebrated or observed to raise or build up awareness about the strategies to identify, avoid and manage the food-borne hazards. Keeping food safe clean and free from viruses and bacteria has become more critical during this situation of pandemic.
Tips to Ensure Food Safety:-
There is a link between food safety, nutrition, food security, and unsafe or unhygienic food feeds a cruel cycle of sickness that mostly affects everyone newborns, young children, and the elderly.
So Here are some tips or hints to maintain food Safety during this pandemic:-
- Purchase food items from well reputable and sanitary places. Avoid purchasing foods from unsanitary regions.
- Rinse fruits, vegetables and other food items from water properly with regular tap water.
- Clean your hands before handling items from the market. Before storing the goods wash /sanitise hands clearly with the help of hand wash or sanitizer.
- Before going to cook the items, re-wash the items with the help of warm water because cross-contamination is also an issue it also may cause infection or give rise to it, especially in Non- Vegetarian foods.
- With the aspects of food safety, it is important to cook raw vegetables after peeling or removing the non-eatable outer layer.
- Consume fresh food after cooking as soon as possible rather than living it cool, cook food in a quantity which will be consumed and don’t reheat the food because it might kill the efficiency of minerals and vitamins.
- When storage, keep food in the temperature below 5 degree Celsius and hot temp should be 60 degree Celsius.
Continue to sanitize and wash hands with soap or sanitiser. Keep the surroundings clean.
Importance of Food safety during pandemic:
Acc. to WHO foodborne illness or diseases can affect individuals at every age all over the world. But it affects mostly under the age of 5. And lower-income nations. Due to COVID-19 A safe and healthy food supply is very important as a aspect of health and nutrition. Covid 19 is not transmitted by food but spread between persons who are in close contact with each other.
Cs for the Food Safety
Four simple rules that helps in to stay safe from food borne illness:
- Preparing food
- Avoid Cross contamination
- Cook
- Refrigerate
Hands, preparation areas and utensils should be washed properly before cooking or preparation of food.