As announced by the City Public Health Institute of Belgrade, during the summer period, especially when the temperatures are so high, it is necessary to be careful when buying, storing and processing food. By using healthy and high-quality foods, we ensure not only the necessary energy intake for daily activities, but, what is even more important, we protect our health.
Many diseases are transmitted through contaminated food. People infected with microorganisms from food can pass without symptoms, have only a mild intestinal disorder, but they can also become severely dehydrated (loss of a large amount of fluid) and have a general condition disorder, and even death can occur.
Under favorable conditions, over 2.000.000 bacteria can develop from one bacterium in just seven hours.
The following is very important for food preparation:
The right choice of food
When buying food, you should take care of: appearance, shelf life and adequate storage.
Perishable products should only be purchased in stores where these products are kept in refrigeration units. Be sure to check the production date and expiration date. If buying at markets, buy milk products (cheese, cream) at milk markets that have cooling devices - never at stalls. This also applies to poultry meat and others.
Pay attention to the appearance of the food (e.g. meat - color characteristic of the type of meat, smell, consistency - elastic under pressure; ice cream must not be deformed...)
Hygienic handling and storage
- Adequate washing - under a stream of hygienically correct running water (each leaf of leafy vegetables; cabbage before and after cutting; cucumber before and after cleaning; strawberries - first together, then each individually...).
- Preparation - hygienic manipulation (cleanliness of dishes, accessories, work surfaces). Take care that ready-to-use food (eg thermally processed meat or cured meat product) is not processed on the same work surface as raw food (raw meat).
- Good heat treatment. Most foods, especially meat and eggs, must be well thermally processed - no pink meat should be visible; the juices released by the meat must be clean. If cooking in a microwave oven, preferably cut into pieces of the same size or place larger and thicker pieces closer to the outside of the dish.
- Storage in refrigerators. After preparation, serve the food as soon as possible, if it is not served immediately, cool it as soon as possible and keep it in the refrigerator until serving. You can store cooked food in the refrigerator for a maximum of 5 days. If you want to keep it longer, freeze it immediately after cooling. Opened juice and milk, although sterile, must be refrigerated. Always keep raw food under cooked food in the refrigerator.
- Frequent hand washing (keep in mind that food is most often contaminated by dirty hands)
- Thorough reheating of cooked food
- Do not prepare creams, ice creams and mayonnaise from uncooked eggs
- Protect food from the access of insects and rodents
In the summer period, it is recommended to eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible, and fish, and the most important thing is to consume a lot of liquids (broths, soups, fruit juices, teas, etc.). Use fish and meat with less fat. Use as little fat as possible in food preparation. Avoid cooking food over an open flame.
Since it's summer and vacation season, prepare small juices for the trip that are drunk immediately after opening, a hand-held refrigerator for transporting meat, or give up transporting fresh meat and instead opt for some permanent cured meat product.
Source: City Institute for Public Health of Belgrade
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