How to protect yourself from low-quality products

A healthy diet starts from the moment you buy food, from choosing high-quality and fresh products. food can bring a person not only pleasure and benefit, but also a lot of trouble, namely, it can be a source of infection with various infections. This is due to the fact that food is a good environment for the existence and reproduction of pathogenic microflora and the accumulation of their waste products, and toxic substances used to process agricultural products and appearing in the process of culinary processing easily pass into food. The number of food poisonings of various origins increases sharply with the onset of warm weather, when the increased air temperature creates ideal conditions for the growth of many pathogens of intestinal infections.

When purchasing food, you should pay attention to the appearance, color, smell and packaging of the food product. The packaging must contain full information about the manufacturer, the date of manufacture and expiration date, the name of the regulatory document in accordance with which the product was manufactured, as well as the composition and energy value of the food product. The packaging must be intact, undamaged, without scuffs or dents, with the text printed clearly and in the state language.

Do not buy products that do not have a production date or expiration date on them, even if their appearance is unmistakable. After all, an unchanged appearance is not a guarantee of safety, as there may be no changes in the early stages of microorganisms' life.

Food poisoning can be caused by microbes of the Salmonella and Staphylococcus genera, dysentery bacillus and other pathogens. The widespread spread of these diseases both in our country and around the world is a consequence of the increasing role of public catering (fast food cafes, snack bars), centralized food production (culinary shops for the production of salads, cold snacks, fried meat and fish dishes, etc.), poor hygiene (personal hygiene, industrial hygiene in food preparation), and environmental pollution. Most often, the infection enters the intestinal tract and spreads with animal or human feces that get on food or on hands or objects that come into contact with food.

In everyday life, the leading factors in this group of poisonings are infection of food, storage at elevated temperatures, and non-compliance with storage terms.

Some rules for the purchase and storage of food products:

• do not buy vegetables and fruits with soft and darkened spots, wrinkled skin, as they are stale and not fresh.
• greens and especially delicate fruits and vegetables should be stored in special breathable containers.
• dairy products should be stored in the refrigerator and used by the end of the expiration date.
• Buy only carefully packaged meat products with an expiration date.
• vacuum-packed meat products can be stored for several weeks, and when opened, for about 4 days.
• Fresh meat can be stored in the refrigerator without losing its freshness for 3-4 days, and poultry for 2 days.
• When buying frozen fruits and vegetables, feel the bag in which they are stored, it should not have lumps, vegetables should be crumbly, and there should be no ice crystals in the corners of the bag.
• If you brought fresh fish and are not going to cook it right away, you can put it in a large container and cover it with ice.
• when freezing fish at home, the texture of the fish changes, so it is better not to keep frozen fish in the freezer for a long time.
• Observe the temperature conditions for processing fresh meat and fish.
• Do not eat unwashed fruits and vegetables.

Such simple and uncomplicated precautions when handling food products allow you to avoid threats to human health and enjoy your favorite dishes.

A high level of sanitary culture among family members is the key to preventing food poisoning.