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People should observe food and personal hygiene when enjoying hotpot at restaurants or at home.
A spokesman for the Centre for Food Safety today (December 16) advised people to patronise reputable 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 pathogens, these foodstuffs should be cooked thoroughly," he said.
To prevent food-borne diseases and to enjoy hotpot safely, people are advised to take the following precautions:
General points
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* Make sure your kitchen is clean and hygienic if you prepare food at home.
* Maintain good ventilation as the naked flame in hotpot cooking can produce a large amount of carbon dioxide.
* Maintain a balanced diet and avoid indulging in cholesterol-rich offal.
* While enjoying hotpot, be careful with burners and hot water. Children should be properly supervised.
Buying raw food
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* Buy fresh hotpot food from reputable, licensed suppliers.
* Check that the shells of shellfish are intact.
* Make sure the packaging of the prepackaged food is intact. Check the expiry date on the food label.
* Check carefully the quality of food that has been stored for a long time and discard it if in doubt.
* Do not buy too much food at one time to avoid prolonged storage.
Storing food
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* Store fresh food in the refrigerator at four degrees Celsius or below and take it out only before cooking.
* During cooking, put perishable food like seafood and fresh meat on ice at four degrees Celsius or below.
* Make sure all frozen food is completely defrosted before cooking. Do not leave the food to thaw at room temperature.
* Cooked food should not be kept at room temperature for more than two hours.
Preparing food
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* Wash all food, including meat, vegetables and shellfish thoroughly. Scrub and rinse shellfish and keep it in clean water for about half a day for self-purification. Remove its internal organs before cooking.
* Prepare raw and cooked food separately. Use different sets of chopsticks and utensils to handle raw and cooked food.
* Wash hands thoroughly before handling food.
* Utensils should be washed before use.
* Avoid putting too much food on the table to prevent cross-contamination.
Cooking food
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* Whenever water is added to the pot, wait until it is boiling hot.
* Food should be thoroughly cooked before consumption. High-risk food, such as seafood, should be cooked in boiling water for at least five minutes.
* Do not dip cooked food into raw eggs as pathogens may be present inside the eggs and contaminate the cooked food. Vulnerable groups like children and the elderly should avoid eating raw eggs.
*The centre of poultry meat should reach 70 degrees Celsius continuously for at least two minutes.
Ends/Saturday, December 16, 2006
Issued at HKT 14:03
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