Remember
the Food Safety Tips while Enjoying Christmas Buffet
With the arrival of December,
people can gradually feel the joyous atmosphere of
Christmas. Shopping centres on both sides of the Harbour
are adorned with Christmas decorations; Santa Claus
and Christmas tree can be seen everywhere. During
the long Christmas holiday, family and friends will
be delighted to enjoy buffet in restaurants which
offer wide assortment of food including food to be
eaten raw such as oysters and sashimi. These high
risk foods may be contaminated by pathogens like Norovirus,
hepatitis A virus or Vibro parahaemolyticus.
Since these foods would not be cooked before consumption,
the pathogen would survive and cause food poisoning.
Therefore, if we want to enjoy buffet, we should take
precaution and bear in mind the following food safety
tips:
Making wise choices
Patronise licensed
restaurants with a good reputation.
Before choosing
a particular restaurant, take a look at its hygiene
conditions. Check whether its staff observe good
personal hygiene and have proper food-handling
practices.
Pay attention to
the proper storage and display of foods. Raw foods
should be separated from cooked foods.
Proper handling
Pay attention to
the freshness of the food. Do not consume food
that tastes abnormal.
Cold dishes should be kept cold in a chiller or on
ice (at 4 degrees Celsius or below), while hot dishes
should be kept in a heater (at 60 degrees Celsius
or above).
Use separate utensils such as the
tongs and plates provided by the restaurant to handle
raw and cooked food to avoid cross-contamination.
Use a clean plate to take food each time. Don't use
the same plate repeatedly.
Do not take too much food at one time to avoid prolonged
exposure of the food at room temperature (over two
hours).
Wash hands thoroughly before choosing and consuming
food.
Eating healthily
The elderly, children,
pregnant women and people with lower immunity
should avoid consuming high-risk food like raw
foods or cold dishes.
Last
revision date: 13-12-2005