1. What is food quality?
Quality includes positive and negative attributes that influence a product’s value to the consumer. Positive attributes that demonstrate good quality may be the origin, colour, flavour, texture and processing method of the food, while negative attributes may be visible spoilage, contamination with filth, discolouration, or bad odours or tastes. However not all unsafe foods may demonstrate bad quality, that is, unsafe food may appear to be of good quality, such as tainted meat disguised using bleach or strong spices. This distinction between safety and quality has implications for public policy and influences the nature and content of the food control system most suited to meet predetermined national objectives.
3. What is food safety?
Food safety refers to limiting the presence of those hazards whether chronic or acute, that may make food injurious to the health of the consumer. Food safety is about producing, handling, storing and preparing food in such a way as to prevent infection and contamination in the food production chain, and to help ensure that food quality and wholesomeness are maintained to promote good health.
4. How safe is organic or locally produced food?
Organic and locally produced foods may have environmental benefits such as using less pesticides or fertilizers. These foods, like others, can be exposed to harmful bacteria during the growing and harvesting process. It is important for farmers and distributors to use good sanitary practices to minimize food contamination. Consumers should always prepare and cook food properly, no matter where it is from.
9. What precautions should be taken while buying vegetables and fruits?
Most fresh vegetables and fruits retain their freshness for a short time under ideal conditions of storage and it is always better to buy vegetables in the morning or evening hours depending on harvesting pattern. When purchasing, select fresh vegetables and fruits which are firm, crisp, bright in colour, with no visible bruises or signs of decay and wilting. Be careful as some fruits and vegetables may be artificially coloured to give the illusion of freshness and quality. It is advisable to buy vegetables and fruits which are in season, as the quality is usually high and the price is low.
18. What can be done in the kitchen to reduce dietary intake of pesticides?
It is difficult to for a consumer to determine whether vegetables or fruits contain pesticide residues as often they do not have any noticeable smell, taste or visual defect. The following precautions can be taken to reduce dietary exposure to pesticide residue if agricultural products are sold in common market;
- Thoroughly rinse and scrub fruits and vegetables. Peel them if appropriate.
- Remove outer leaves of leafy vegetables, such as cauliflower, cabbage.
- Trim fat from meat, poultry and fish; discard oils and fats in broths and drippings.
- Throw back the big fish as the little ones have less time to take up and concentrate pesticides and other harmful residues.
23. How safe is food when cooked in microwave oven?
Bacteria will be destroyed during microwave cooking just as in other types of ovens, so food is safe cooked in a microwave oven, as long as it is heated to the necessary temperature (generally above 70 °C). However the food can cook less evenly than in a conventional oven. In other words, microwave ovens can cook unevenly and leave “cold spots” where harmful bacteria can survive. To promote uniform cooking, arrange food items evenly in a covered dish and add some liquid if needed.
In a microwave oven, the air in the oven is closer to room temperature so the temperature of the food surface is often cooler than food in a conventional oven where the food is heated by hot air.
32. What should be done in case of a power cut to a refrigerator for a long time?
Keep the door closed as much as possible to maintain internal temperature safe. Food within be safe as long as power is out no more than 4 hours (without opening the doors). Discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers) that has been above 5 °C for over 2 hours. Always discard any items in the refrigerator that have come into contact with raw meat juices.
36. How can we reduce the migration of chemicals from plastic into food?
All plastic is made from chemicals that have the potential to harm a person’s health. Proper use of plastic packaging lowers chemical migration. Following these simple tips will help to reduce the migration of chemicals from plastic into food;
- Follow manufacturers’ instructions when using household plastics such as cling films and bags.
- Follow recommendations for cleaning products to be used on containers, bottles and lids.
- Use the correct type of plastic for the role, e.g. only use microwave-safe plastics in the microwave.
- Do not let cling film touch the food during microwave cooking as it melts at a low temperature. In many cases, the film should be removed before cooking in a microwave.
- Leave a corner of the dish uncovered to allow the steam to escape. This reduces the risk of the film being blown off and settling on to the food.
- Re-use plastic containers that are food compatible, in the way the original food was presented. For example, you can freeze food in ice-cream containers but don’t heat them in the microwave – they were designed for use on cold food.
40. What is food adulteration?
Food adulteration is an unethical and often criminal malpractice which is unfortunately commonplace in countries of the South-East Asia region. It frequently occurs where informal food production and marketing services are predominant and enforcement of food regulation is weak. Adulteration of food is normally observed in its most crude form, where prohibited substances are either added or used to partly or wholly substitute healthy ingredients or to artificially create the impression of freshness in old food. Normally, intentionally adulterating food is done for financial gain. Among food items, spices, due to their inherent nature–great demand and high price become easy substances for gross adulteration. Other forms of adulteration happen due to carelessness and lack in proper hygienic conditions of processing, storage, transportation and marketing. This adulteration ultimately causes the consumer to be either cheated financially or worse as a victim of illness or disease. However, adequate precautions taken by consumers at the time of purchase of such products can allow them to avoid purchasing such adulterated food.
Some examples of food adulteration are as follows;
- Whole spices: Dirt, dust, other seeds
- Chili powder: Brick powder, salt powder or talc, powder
- Ghee/butter: vegetable ghee, animal fat, mashed potato, sweet potato, etc.
- Ice cream and beverages: Saccharin
- Honey: Jaggery, sugar syrup
Some examples of artificial colourants are as follows;
- Sweets: Metanil yellow (a non-permitted coal tar colour)
- Chili powder: Rhodamine B
- Green chili, bitter gourd, green vegetables, green peas: Malachite green
- Turmeric powder: Lead chromate
http://www.searo.who.int/entity/world_health_day/2015/whd-what-you-should-know/en/
