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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) today (April 2) appealed to people to heed food safety when enjoying buffets with family and friends during the Easter holidays.
A CFS spokesman said buffet patrons should be particularly careful with high-risk foods such as oysters and sashimi, which are eaten raw.
"If not sourced or handled properly, these foods could be contaminated with pathogens, such as Norovirus, Hepatitis A virus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which may in turn cause food poisoning," the spokesman said.
To prevent food-borne diseases and to enjoy Easter buffets safely, people are advised to follow the Five Keys to Food Safety:
Choose
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* Patronise licensed and reliable restaurants, and pay attention to their hygiene conditions and staffˇ¦s personal hygiene.
Clean
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* Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before eating and after going to the toilet, and dry them with a paper towel;
* Use a clean plate to take food each time. Don't use the same plate repeatedly.
Separate
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* Do not use hands to take food. Use separate utensils to handle raw and cooked foods to avoid cross-contamination;
* Make sure that chefs who cook food at the spot for customers follow the "separate" practice when handling raw foods.
Cook
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* If food does not look properly done, ask the chefs to cook it thoroughly.
Safe Temperature
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* Hot dishes should be kept at above 60˘J, and cold dishes at 4˘J or below;
* Finish food as soon as possible to avoid keeping it at room temperature for a long time;
* If a cold dish is not cold, a hot dish is only lukewarm or the food looks or tastes abnormal, do not consume it.
People should maintain a balanced diet and not overeat. The elderly, children, pregnant women and people with weakened immunity should avoid consuming high-risk foods like raw foods or cold dishes.
Please visit the CFS website (www.cfs.gov.hk) for more food safety tips.
Ends/Thursday, April 2, 2009
Issued at HKT 14:51
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