DETERIORATED FOODS CAN BE SOURCE OF SERIOUS DANGER

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 18, 3 February 1948, Page 3

DETERIORATED FOODS CAN BE SOURCE OF SERIOUS DANGER

(By the Department of Health) This subject of keeping food fresh and clean and free from taint during the hot weather crops up every year. Rarely does a summer go past without some cases of food-poisoning being reported in the newspapers, and there are probably many more cases that are not made public. Proper care will prevent food from being tainted, and a timely reminder of this very important fact is not out of place at the present time. No one would knowingly fail to look after foodstuffs properly, but there are times when we get careless about these things. Food affected with putrefactive organisms is highly dangerous. Even though the organisms may be thoroughly destroyed by cooking, yet the toxin, or poison, which they generate is not affected by cooking, and may be fatal to the consumer. It is the poison left behind by the organsims that does the damage. So far as all foods, and flesh foods, fish and milk in particular, are concerned, it pays to buy them in a clean and fresh condition. If food is not intended to be consumed immediately after cooking, cool it as quickly as possible, and keep it cool. Another thing, keep all foods in scrupulously clean,and covered utensils, stored in a well-lighted, wellventilated and cool pantry. And here’s another important point—in handling, preparing or cooking foods, exercise the utmost cleanliness, not only of utensils and food, but personal cleanliness.

Lack of personal care is an important contributing factor in cases of food poisoning, and people are apt to be a little thoughtless in this regard. As a matter of fact, much of the summer sickness that babies suffer is probably due to mother not looking after personal cleanliness sufficiently. After attending to baby she goes straight ahead and prepares its food without washing her hands, and unwittingly brings the sickness to her baby. Mothers should always* wash the hands and scrub the fingernails after attending to baby and before preparing its food. Flies, too, are a common source of food-poisoning, and for that reason they should be rigorously destroyed. Prevent them breeding, and the battle will be more than half won.

Whenever meat, fish and milk and other foods are tainted, destroy them at once. It’s much better to lose a shilling or two this way than to run the risk of poisoning yourself and the whole family.