Remember Food Safety When Enjoying Delicacies in Easter

The public should take heed of food safety while sharing delicacies with family and friends during the Easter holidays. People should be particularly careful when consuming high-risk food such as raw oysters and sashimi, which could easily be contaminated by pathogens such as Hepatitis A virus, Norwalk-like virus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

To prevent food poisoning, people should pay more attention to food safety when eating and preparing food.

The public is advised to take note of the following safety tips:

Choosing food premises

* Always patronise licensed restaurants with good reputation, especially when consuming high-risk food such as raw oysters and sashimi;

* Pay attention to the cleanliness of the restaurant and personal hygiene of the food handlers;

* Check whether the restaurants treat raw and cooked food separately and cover them properly.

Selecting food

* Pay attention to the freshness of the food. Do not consume those with an abnormal appearance or taste;

* Hot dishes should be cooked thoroughly. Cold dishes should be kept at four degrees Celsius or below;

* The mud oysters sold in wet markets should not be eaten raw. They should be cooked thoroughly before consumption;

* Select those ready-to-eat seafood such as sashimi and raw oysters in shops specialized for the purpose;

* Use separate utensils to handle raw and cooked food to help avoid cross contamination;

* Children, the elderly and people with low immunity should choose cooked or hot food and avoid high-risk food as far as possible.

Eating habit

* Wash hands with soap before eating and after going to the toilet;

* Maintain a balanced diet and avoid eating too much.