World Food Safety Day: Easy tips to keep food safe during monsoons

The showers of monsoon are around the corner! While the season of monsoon provides a sigh of relief from the blazing strokes of heat, it also becomes a breeding ground for bacteria-causing illnesses. Therefore, it is extremely important to pay special heed and take precautions about food hygiene to make the best of the season. Monsoon brings moisture that stimulates bacterial and microbial growth and keeping the food dry during this season is of utmost importance to decrease the risk of food-borne diseases. World Food Safety Day is celebrated on the 7th of every June with the intent to raise awareness amongst the citizens about the importance of preventing, detecting and managing significant food hygiene to avoid any foodborne health risks while improving the overall health.

Here is a list of tips to keep the food hale and hearty during monsoons.

Store the leftovers properly

Storing food safely and soundly is extremely important during this season to keep the diseases at bay. Make sure to not leave the food open for more than 2 hours. The high moisture content during this season can decay the food super quickly. Put the covers over cooked food and keep the leftovers in the refrigerator to avoid any fungus or bacteria. Never mix any two food items together and store them in a separate container (even the fruits and vegetables). Keep the grains, lentils and pulses in dry places as the chances of getting fungus increase in damp places. Most importantly, don’t consume the leftover foods for many days.

Don’t expose the cut fruits and vegetables in open surroundings

Don’t let the pre-cut fruits open for a longer period of time to avoid any contamination by microbes. Fruits and vegetables are more disposed to detrimental viruses and bacteria and make sure to cut them only when you want to consume them. Moreover, don’t relish any store-bought smoothies, canned juices or processed food items from the street vendors as these foods are not fresh and are filled with preservatives that can only hamper your health.

A hygienic kitchen is a must 

Cleaning the ingredients is quite important but what’s even more important is maintaining the hygiene of your workstation. No matter, how many times you clean your ingredients, if the surroundings are unclean it will ultimately takes you close to multiple illnesses. Right from disinfecting, sanitising, and cleaning the slabs to washing the utensils properly- make sure to maintain a great pre and post cooking hygiene.

Wash out thoroughly

Ensure to wash the fruits and vegetables thoroughly before cooking and to do it in an effective way, don’t just run the foods under water, gently run your hands to every corner of the food so that any germ, insects, dirt or impurities can get removed. You can also opt for cleaning solutions for safe and effective cleaning. 

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