10 things you should do to reduce risk of food poisoning
How to avoid food poisoning.
A study commissioned by the daily uncovered that chicken served in fast food joints contains harmful bacteria such as E.coli, salmonella, staphylococcus, enterobacteriaceae and coliforms.
Ready to eat chicken also carried preservatives that tested positive for chemicals that cause cancer.
According to World Health Organisation the micro-organisms and chemical substances found can cause more than 200 illnesses ranging from diarrhoea to cancer.
Children under five are the majority of victims of food-borne diseases. Worldwide, up to 125,000 young ones die per year.
Here are ten things you can do to minimize risk of infection.
1. Wash your hands
Your hands should be cleaned thoroughly with soap and water before handling any food.
Whether you have come from the outdoors, the toilet, from touching the remote or a keyboard- wash your hands.
2. Wash your vegetables with running water
This helps flush away any contaminants such as pesticides that may be in your vegetables. Try to avoid getting your veggies cut by your local mama mboga who only rinses the vegetables in stagnant water. They also handle money, belongings etc and go back to handling food.
3. Don't buy food from the ground
This food displayed on the floor of the market gets into contact with running water, gets splashed on by vehicles and pedestrians passing by.
4. Handle your meat well
5. Make sure your meat is well-done
There should be no strains of pink or red in your meat so as to reduce exposure to harmful bacteria.
6. Avoid spotless bananas
Ripe bananas that are perfectly yellow may have been ripened using calcium carbide which is a chemical notorious for depriving the neurological system of oxygen leading to disorders as serious as seizures.
7. Avoid milk from unlicensed vendors
It could have milk that is poorly stored and exposed to harmful compounds.
8. Avoid butcheries with no houseflies
Meat should attract the presence of flies. No flies could be a sign that formalin was used to preserve the meat.
9. Don't eat at restaurants with no running water
Dirty toilets, no running water can lead to higher chances of infection. Always make sure to wash your hands with soap and water after handling the menu, ketchup bottles and salt shakers.
10. Avoid tap water
Ensure that you drink bottled water or that you're taking boiled water. Don't ask for tap water at restaurants as it could be from an unclean source.
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