Basic food hygiene and safety-Proper food storage (Wei Si)

In this blog post, I will be zooming into another important yet overlooked aspect of basic food hygiene and safety- proper food storage Without any qualms , I am sure the food poisoning incident which occurred in 2009 that caused 2 fatal cases after the consumption of Indian Rojak is familiar to many. The stall owner had placed the sauce directly below the raw seafood and it was served to the customers without the owner's awareness of this deadly disaster. The victims of this case had consumed the sauce which was contaminated with raw seafood juices and it has resulted with shocking more than 140 case of severe food poisoning and even 2 fatal cases. It was an unfortunate predicament and it was as a result of improper food storage which led to that malady. Such incidents evokes much terror in most of us, however it also evidently highlighted the importance of proper food storage. For storage of food in the freezer, it is important that the temperature of the refrigerator is kept constant and temperature of chillers should be kept at 0-4 degree Celsius and freezer temperature should be kept at -18 degree celcius or lower, it is also strongly recommended that a non mercury thermometer should be kept in place in order for users to monitor the temperature of fridge hence if there's a discrepancy of temperature one can immediately rectify the problem and fix the fridge. Food should also be stored at the correct temperature as soon as it has been delivered or prepared. This prevents growth of harmful bacteria and minimises the risk of food spoilage. To prevent cross-contamination of the cooked or ready-to-eat food with the drippings from the raw food, cooked and ready-to-eat food should be stored above raw food. Food should also be stored in separate, properly-covered containers in the refrigerator to prevent cross-contamination. Also, food should always be stored at least 30cm away from the floor so that to prevent the entry of bacteria and filth from the floor to enter the food

All in all, the above are simple guidelines in proper food storage, I believe that by adhering to these simple guidelines faithfully and religiously, I believe it would reduce the risk of any form of food contamination. Not only would this give the consumers a sense of relieve in eating the food but it also ensure great standard of hygiene practises. A little goes a long way and food safety involves everyone in the food chain hence if everybody do their part I believe less unfortunate events would happen and more people would be happier and at ease with eating the food.