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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) today (March 18) 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 were 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 enjoy Easter buffets, please maintain a balanced diet and take note of the following safety tips:
Choosing food premises
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* Patronise licensed and reliable restaurants.
* Before choosing a particular restaurant, take a look at its hygiene conditions and check whether its staff observe good personal hygiene and proper food-handling practices.
* Pay attention to storage and display of food. Raw food should be separated from cooked food. Cold dishes should be kept in a chiller or on ice (at 4 degrees Celsius or below), while hot dishes should be cooked thoroughly and kept over a heater (at 60 degrees Celsius or above).
Selecting food
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* Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before choosing and consuming food.
* Use a clean plate to take food each time. Don't use the same plate repeatedly.
* Do not use hands to take food, use separate utensils to handle raw and cooked food to avoid cross-contamination.
* Cover the food container with the lid provided after taking food each time to ensure that food can be kept at appropriate temperatures and prevent them from being contaminated by people inadvertently.
* Do not take too much food at one time to avoid prolonged exposure of food at room temperature.
* If cold dishes are not cold, hot dishes are only lukewarm or foods look or taste abnormal, do not consume them.
* The elderly, children, pregnant women and people with weakened immunity should avoid consuming high-risk foods like raw foods or cold dishes.
Ends/Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Issued at HKT 12:09
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