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People should observe food and personal hygiene when enjoying hotpot at restaurants.
A spokesman for the Centre for Food Safety today (December 4) advised people to patronise reliable and licensed restaurants. They should also pay attention to the hygiene conditions of the food premises as well as the personal hygiene of food handlers.
"Seafood, poultry and eggs may carry a number of pathogens such as Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Salmonella. To reduce the risk of contracting food-borne diseases, food should be cooked thoroughly," he said.
To prevent food-borne diseases and to enjoy hotpot safely, people are advised to follow the Five Keys to Food Safety:
Choose
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* Pay attention to the hygiene of the environment, the storage conditions of food and personal hygiene of the staff when choosing a restaurant.
Clean
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* Before handling food ingredients and eating, wash hands with warm soapy water thoroughly and dry them with a paper towel;
* If there is a wound on the hand, bandage it properly and avoid direct contact with food.
Separate
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* Avoid putting too much food on the table to prevent cross-contamination;
* Use separate sets of chopsticks and easy to differentiate utensils to handle raw and cooked food respectively.
Cook
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* Whenever water or soup is added to the pot, wait until it is boiling hot again before taking out food from the pot;
* Food should be thoroughly cooked before consumption. High-risk food, such as seafood, should be cooked in boiling water for at least five minutes;
* Raw eggs are on offer as a hotpot ingredient or ready-to-eat food in many restaurants. Eggs with cracked shells should be discarded immediately;
* Vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly should avoid eating raw eggs, as harmful bacteria may be present inside the eggs.
Safe Temperature
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* If leftovers are being taken home from a restaurant, cool them quickly and put them in the refrigerator within two hours;
* Leftovers should not be kept in the refrigerator for longer than three days or reheated more than once.
People may browse the CFS website (www.cfs.gov.hk) for more food safety tips.
Ends/Thursday, December 4, 2008
Issued at HKT 16:10
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