Summer is a peak season for food poisoning. The Ningxia Food and Drug Administration recently issued a food safety consumer notice, advising the public to be cautious of five types of food during the summer to prevent food poisoning.
Be cautious with street food. When buying cooked food, always purchase it from supermarkets or retail stores with a health permit and refrigeration facilities. Check its color and smell before buying. Try to avoid buying homemade cooked food, cold salads, and bean products sold by street vendors. Most street food stalls lack proper cooling, sterilization, and facilities to prevent flies and dust. In the high summer temperatures, bacteria multiply rapidly, making the food spoil easily.
Prevent bean poisoning. Raw beans contain a toxic protein called hemagglutinin, and some beans contain "saponins." Both of these toxins can be broken down and destroyed by high heat. Eating undercooked beans can lead to poisoning. When cooking beans at home, on construction sites, etc., they must be thoroughly cooked through. When dining out, consumers should be aware and protect themselves. If the beans are an unnaturally bright green, take a small taste first and only eat them if there is no bean-like or other strange odor.
Prevent mushroom poisoning. In summer, high temperatures and abundant rainfall lead to a boom in wild mushroom growth, making it a season with a high incidence of wild mushroom poisoning. It is best not to pick, buy, or eat wild mushrooms.
Do not eat raw aquatic products. Aquatic products must be thoroughly cooked. They should be heated to 100°C and maintained at that temperature for at least 10 minutes. The time from when cooked aquatic products are ready to when they are eaten should not exceed 2 hours. It is best not to eat dead aquatic products.
Leftover cooked food should be thoroughly reheated. Food from previous meals should be stored in the refrigerator and must be completely reheated before consumption to kill any microorganisms that may have multiplied during storage. However, if cooked food is found to be spoiled, it should be discarded immediately, as the toxins in spoiled food cannot be eliminated by reheating.