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The last thing you want at home parties and gatherings is an outbreak of food poisoning. With the high-profile cases of food poisoning from popular local eateries Tung Lok and Spize, it is a reminder to minimise the risk by practicing food safety guidelines.
If you're catering Christmas dinner for your family and friends' gatherings this festive season, know that food caterers are not exempt from food poisoning risks too.
Last November in the festive season, halal Christmas caterer Rasel Catering was suspended over 284 cases of food poisoning. Rasel Catering is a reputable halal caterer in Singapore.
Whether you are cooking up a feast, ordering Christmas feasts, or catering your Christmas dinner, here are nine food safety tips to watch out for this festive season:
9 Food Catering Safety Tips To Prevent Food Poisoning
Your Food Caterer Should Be NEA-Licensed
Order food from licensed food caterers, preferably those with a good hygiene grading. There used to actually a list of licensed caterers on the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) website, literally called "NEA Food Establishment Licensees". However, that page has been taken down as of time of writing.
Nonetheless, there is another list of caterers on Health Promotion Board's website that you can quite easily find here.
After you've chosen your Christmas food caterer, be sure to quickly read through this food catering safety guidelines issued by NEA, too.
Store Hot & Cold Food at Recommended Temperature
Keep hot food at a minimum temperature of 60°C and cold food below 5°C.
Food-borne pathogenic bacteria multiply quickly between 5°C and 60°C. Hence, food should not be kept at room temperature for more than four hours from the time it is cooked to the time it is consumed.
This includes the time that is taken to pack, transport, or deliver the food.
Food kept at ambient temperatures for more than four hours could result in the bacteria multiplying to reach sufficient levels that could cause food poisoning when consumed.
Catered Food Must Come With Timestamp Labels
Caterers are required to provide a timestamp label on packed cooked meals.
The label should contain the date and time the food is cooked and when it should be consumed by.
It is an offence to remove or alter the timestamp label. If you spot your caterer using Sharpie markers to cross out the time and date of your packed food, you should report it to the NEA!
Catered Food Should Come In Hot or Insulated Cool Boxes
Packed cooked food should be delivered in hot or insulated boxes and bags.
In addition, food should be collected and consumed at about the same time, as heat is lost rapidly once the insulated boxes or bags are opened.
If necessary, make arrangements for food to be delivered at staggered timings. For example, lunch should come at 12pm, but dinner should only be delivered at 6pm - even if both are from the same caterer.
Don't Takeaway. Discard Leftover Catered Food!
Uneaten food should be discarded and not packed for consumption at a later timing for all your aunties and uncles.
Too much leftover food? Well, to prevent food waste, just refrain from over-ordering.
Another option is to downsize the portion of each dish if there are a variety of dishes served.
Eggs Are Prone To Carrying Salmonella & Other Bacteria
Eggs may contain salmonella bacteria that can cause food-borne illnesses. To avoid this, ensure that egg shells are clean and not cracked when you receive them.
Bacteria can enter eggs through fissures in the shells. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after handling eggs.
Cracking many eggs in a bowl together poses a higher risk of contamination, so make sure you do that just before use and cook them thoroughly.
Otherwise, just avoid ordering egg dishes when booking your Christmas catering lunch or dinner.
Fruits Should Be Handled Differently
Discard rotten or damaged fruits and wash your hands and utensils thoroughly with soap and water before and after handling fruits.
Wash them thoroughly under running water before peeling or cutting them, and wear clean gloves for the latter.
Cut fruits should be eaten promptly or refrigerated at 4°C and below.
Cut fruits left at room temperature for more than two hours should be discarded. This is something you must be aware of while catering from major food catering companies in Singapore since they always tend to serve up fruits for dessert.
Vegetables Should Be Handled Differently
Remove soiled portions of vegetables, such as the base with roots, and wash away residual soil with tap water.
Washing them thoroughly with clean running water helps remove dirt, bacteria or chemical residues. Soak vegetables in fresh tap water for 15 minutes, and rinse them again before cutting them and cooking. Scrub potato skins gently with a clean brush while rinsing with running water.
Do not store fruits and vegetables together in the same storage compartment as fruits can cause green vegetables to turn yellow.
When cutting vegetables, use a separate clean chopping board that you do not use for raw food.
Beware of Steamboats and Hot Pots!
Be aware of the appearance, smell or texture of the ingredients in steamboat. If it appears to be turning bad or has spoiled, tell the retailer.
Do not use your bare hands to handle food at self-service counters.
Use only designated utensils provided to handle specific food items to prevent contamination. Use separate tongs and utensils for raw and cooked food.
Cook food thoroughly before eating it, as undercooked food can contribute to a higher risk of food poisoning.
Steamboats and hot pots tend to cause contamination
There are three practices that often lead to cross-contamination or undercooked food:
- When the hot pot is overloaded so that the soup base does not come to a boil
- Adding raw items into a pot of cooked food
- Placing raw food next to cooked food on a hot plate.
This article first appeared on Singapore Women’s Weekly.