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People should observe food hygiene when enjoying buffets which are popular at festive gatherings.
A spokesman for the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) today (December 19) appealed to people to heed food safety when enjoying buffets with family and friends during the Christmas holidays.
The 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 Christmas 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 staff's personal hygiene.
* Do not choose food that looks or smells abnormal.
Clean
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* Wash hands thoroughly with soap and running water for 20 seconds before eating and after going to the toilet.
* Choose a clean plate when taking food.
Separate
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* Use separate utensils provided by the restaurants to take raw and cooked foods to avoid cross-contamination.
* Make sure that chefs who cook food on the spot for customers follow the "separate" practice when handling raw and cooked foods.
Cook
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* Check whether the food is cooked thoroughly. For meat and poultry such as turkey, juices should be clear and should not be pink. For cooked eggs, yolks should be firm.
* If the 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 degrees Celcius, and cold dishes at 4 degrees Celcius or below.
* If a cold dish is not cold, or a hot dish is only lukewarm, do not consume it.
* Finish food as soon as possible to avoid keeping it at room temperature for a long time.
People should maintain a balanced diet and avoid overeating. Choose more "3 Low 1 High" foods: foods lower in fats, sugars and salt but higher in fibre. 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/Saturday, December 19, 2009
Issued at HKT 15:02
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