Easter is just round the corner. To celebrate the festival, many people would opt for a buffet for the great varieties of yummy dishes with their friends and relatives. To enjoy the holiday in health, we must understand the potential hazards involved in a buffet so as to prevent food-borne diseases.     Five Main Risk Factors Related to Buffets:     1. Preparation of a large amount of food in a short time / too far in advance To ensure an ample supply of food to be served on buffets, a large amount of food is prepared beforehand. However, the prepared food will easily go bad if there is inadequate equipment to chill or hot hold it, or if it is left at room temperature for too long.     2. Supply of high-risk foods Without proper handling, some high-risk food items like raw oysters and sashimi which do not need cooking at a high temperature may contain pathogenic micro-organisms.     3. Supply of a wide variety of foods Without proper handling, food items are susceptible to cross-contamination if ready-to-eat dishes and uncooked dishes are provided at the same time.     4. Prolonged displaying or serving of food Prolonged displaying or serving of food provides an opportunity for food poisoning bacteria to grow continuously in food. Some of these bacteria may even produce toxins.     5. Customers contaminating food on display Customers taking one food may inadvertently contaminate other food with their hands or through the use of unsuitable utensils.     To prevent disease from entering by the mouth, buffet patrons should observe the following:     Choosing restaurants 1. Patronise licensed restaurants with good reputation; 2. Before choosing a particular restaurant, assess its hygiene status by taking a look at its environment, utensils provided and staffˇ¦s personal hygiene practices; 3. Pay attention to the proper storage and display of food. For example, are raw foods kept separate from cooked foods in a proper manner? Is food properly covered? 4. See if there are staff deployed to monitor hygienic conditions of buffet tables to avoid contamination of food.     Selecting food     1. Pay attention to the freshness of the food. Do not consume food that has discoloured or tastes abnormal as it may have spoiled; 2. Cold foods should be kept at 4oC or below while hot foods, at 60oC or above in warming devices. When cooking by yourself, make sure that the foods are thoroughly cooked before consumption; 3. Avoid leaving food at room temperature for more than two hours; 4. The elderly, children and people with lower immunity should as far as possible avoid consuming raw and cold foods and other high-risk items such as raw oysters, sashimi, sushi and salads; 5. Maintain a balanced diet. Do not eat or drink too much at one meal to avoid undermining your health.     Consumption practices 1. Wash hands thoroughly before getting food at the buffet table and consumption; 2. Use separate utensils such as tongs and plates provided by the restaurant to handle raw and cooked foods in order to avoid cross-contamination; 3. Use a clean plate each time when getting food at the buffet table. Do not use the previous plate in order to avoid cross-contamination.