Dear colleagues and students,
It is now the typhoon season in Macao. After typhoon, some food may be damaged or polluted due to power outage and flood. We should pay attention to the following preparation and relief measures to lower the risk of gastrointestinal discomfort by mistakenly consuming contaminated food.
- During the work of disaster relief and restoration, only food that has been cooked thoroughly or solid food that has not been damaged should be eaten. Do not eat cold and perishable food which carries a high food safety risk.
- Do not eat non-prepackaged food that has been immersed in polluted water. The food must be disposed of and destroyed immediately.
- When cans with double seamed tops and bottoms as well as food in retort pouches are affected by the flood, they can only be used if the seals of the packages are not damaged and there is no sign of food leakage. Wash the surface of the outer packages and sterilize the food by appropriate methods.
- Prepackaged food without water-proof sealed packages, such as food packaged in paper bags, plastic bags, hemp bags, nylon bags, self-made cans or bottles, bottled milk and sauces, boxed infant formula, and food stored in metal cans with ring-pull lids, etc. should be discarded when affected by the flood.
- Before the power is restored in a power outage, keep the doors of refrigerators and freezers closed tightly. Food inside the refrigerators with a cooling temperature below 5℃ can remain safe and hygienic for 4 hours; food inside the freezers with a cooling temperature below -20℃ can remain safe and hygienic for a maximum of 48 hours.
- If power supply is recovered in a short period of time and the food in refrigerators and freezers is not found to be deteriorated when examined, the food should be eaten as soon as possible.
- Perishable food stored at a temperature of 5℃ or above must be thrown away. If there is a prolonged power outage, perishable food must be disposed of even though no abnormalities are observed.
- When clearing and throwing away damaged, polluted and perishable food, the food must be categorized, packaged and handled properly to avoid the food from being picked up by others and causing repeated pollution to environmental hygiene.
Source: Department of Food Safety, Municipal Affairs Bureau, Government of Macao S.A.R.
https://www.foodsafety.gov.mo/e/fsevent/detail/1a6042f4-9d5f-4bb3-bb67-5c5dfc679209
If you would like to read more health tips, please visit the website of Office of Health, Safety and Environmental Affairs https://hseo.um.edu.mo/health-tips/
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