Food safety is the major cause of concern as consuming contaminated, spoiled, or toxic food can give rise to many diseases and illnesses. According to WHO statistics, foodborne diseases impacts 600 million and leads to 4,20,000 deaths every year. Eating unsafe food affects every age group like infants, young children, adults or the elderly.
Therefore, World Food Safety Day is celebrated every year globally on 7th June to remind people of the need to consume safe and healthy food, and make them aware of the consequences linked to eating contaminated food. This is an initiative started in 2018 by the United Nations General Assembly for the people across the globe so that they can live a disease-free and healthy life.
As this special occasion is approaching, we would like to share some of the many ways to celebrate this important day in order to consume high quality produce, keep the food fresh, and retain its taste, flavour, and nutrient value.
Quality Of The Produce
A consumer should ideally check the manufacturing date before buying store-bought produce. Also, read the labels carefully to ensure it’s free from preservatives and trans fat that can possess a serious threat to your health.
It’s important to eat seasonal fruits/veggies and buy them from the local market so that you can take the maximum benefits and stay in shape. If you are buying from a local seller, then you should know how to differentiate between the good and bad quality of fruits/veggies. Pick those which are fresh and clean and seasonal. Since we are currently facing second coronavirus wave, choose the local seller that is maintaining safety standard and selling high-quality produce that doesn’t harm your health.
Maintain Kitchen Hygiene
Keeping the kitchen clean is an important step to keep the food safe and fresh. After all, kitchen is the heart of every household. It is the place where you cook delicious healthy meals for your loved ones, therefore, it should be given equal attention. Given below are some of the many kitchen hygiene steps that you should adhere to maintain cleanliness
- Wash the utensils and also wash your hands frequently before chopping or preparing the food.
- Throw the scrape into the bin. Keep cleaning it regularly to avoid the foul smell and keep nasty bacteria at bay.
- Clean chopping board
- Scrub your sink on a daily basis to keep it hygienic.
- Wash the kitchen clothes regularly
- Do not keep the refrigerator stuffed with useless food times and clean it often as well
- Wear gloves before washing dishes and disinfect them after the dishes are done.
- You should always wash your hands before getting started with the cooking process or after washing utensils
Properly Wash Fruits And Vegetables
Although currently there is no evidence that you can get contaminated with COVID-19 from food or food packaging. However, it is a safer idea to wash all the fruits and vegetables using freshwater before peeling to get rid of any bacteria or virus clinged to the surface of the food/veggies. So, just wash them multiple times under plain running water to get rid of any dust or germs which can cause diseases.
Don’t use any soap or detergent. Gently rub the product and you are good to go! Your hands should be washed properly before handling any groceries. Ensure hygiene at all times fellas!
Safe Handling of Cut Fruits And Vegetables
Most of the sliced fruits and vegetables can last longer and stay fresh if you keep them in the refrigerator in an airtight container. You can also cover the container using a thin plastic wrap that works the same to keep your fruits or veggies refreshed.
However, there are certain fruits that brown quickly like apples, banana, or avocado so don’t cut them ahead of time. Ideally, you should peel the fruits/veggies just before consumption to reap the many benefits and avoid any illness.
Preserve Cooked Food
There are times when we cook too much and then become guilty of throwing it away. Fortunately, there are a few safer guidelines through which leftover meals can be consumed and stays fresh longer. All you need is to keep it in the fridge in sealable or leak-proof containers or wrap it with aluminum foil in which there is no scope of air getting trapped.
It will help in keeping the meals protected from contamination. You should consume the leftover as quickly as possible, ideally within 2 hours or the next day. Every leftover food is stored at a different temperatures like pizza, cheese, salad, rice, etc. But once you will get a hang of it, you can easily reduce food waste.
Cook Properly
It is important to cook food properly to kill harmful bacteria and avoid food poisoning. When the food is cooked properly it ensures that the micro-organisms are being killed properly and the food is safer to eat.
Besides this, by adding healthy spices, oil, and herbs, the nutrient-value of the food also gets increased. Just make sure you don’t make it extra spicy and use unhealthy oils because it can put you at risk of diseases like diabetes, heart diseases, and obesity.
OMKITCHEN is a social kitchen with the end-consumer’s health in mind. We prepare natural home-style organic meals using highly sourced ingredients and keeping all the food safety measures in mind that help people regain and relish their love for genuine, chemical-free food.
Know How OMKITCHEN Ensures Food Safety And Hygiene?
Given below are some of the many key practices that OMKITCHEN has been following throughout to serve the people of Delhi/NCR with the freshest and lip-smacking organic meals:
- We source organic or high-quality produce from local farmers and distributors to ensure the best quality
- We use microwave-safe glass containers that keep the food fresh and intact its flavour while delivery. However, due to the pandemic, we are using disposable packaging for the safeguard of our valuable customers as well as team members.
- Our team always maintains personal hygiene, wash hands frequently, and wear gloves before getting started with the food process. After the pandemic, other safety gears like a facemask, face shield, frequent sanitization, or PPE kit has been adopted by our team members for the safe handling and delivery of the meals.
- Raw fruits/veggies are washed in an ultrasonic cleaner and then again washed with RO water that takes the cleaning process to next level.
- We keep cleaning our chopping board to maintain kitchen hygiene.
- No team member is allowed to enter the premises with their shoes on.
Final Thoughts
Eating fresh and chemical-free food is the first step to lead a healthy life. Access to safe, fresh, and healthy food is the basic right of every consumer and under no circumstances the food safety should be compromised as it can be life-threatening as well. As a consumer, it should also be your responsibility to keep all the safer food practices in mind.
Keep educating yourself about how to differentiate between safe and unsafe food, and follow essential rules to prepare safe and healthy food for your loved ones.
