Grocery shopping is where food safety should begin. When shopping, ensure that you check the expiry date before putting them into your basket. Just because canned food can be kept for long periods of time without going bad, it can be tempting to simply offhandedly pick some up.

Before you do so, stop and check the can for severe dents or bloating as these are signs of the food inside going bad. To protect yourself from food poisoning, look over the packaging of your food item and ensure that nothing has been torn or damaged.

It is easy to get caught up with panic buying when many Singaporeans are rushing to the nearest supermarket to stock up on essentials and groceries. However, if you are unsure if your family can finish the amount of food you are purchasing, it is best not to buy them.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are perishables and cannot be kept for too long, so avoid over-buying so you don’t contribute to food wastage or end up eating expired food. 

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Perishable food items like meat or poultry should be kept in the refrigerator within two hours of purchasing. To avoid leaving them unrefrigerated for too long, pick up frozen items towards the end of your grocery run and immediately store them in the refrigerator once you get home.

Before bringing them to the cashier, check to make sure the packaging is sealed properly and the meat is in a hard, frozen state. If there are excessive ice crystals on the meat, don’t purchase it either.

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Before preparing meals, start with washing your hands well. Rinse fruits and vegetables with clean water. For harder vegetables like potatoes, you can scrub the skin gently with a brush to be extra safe.

When preparing raw meat, wash and dry your tools thoroughly before and after the process, especially cutting boards and knives which are prone to harbouring bacteria.

Cleaning the cooking area after you’ve finished is important too. Wash kitchen utensils and countertops with warm soapy water. It might be a chore to have to clean so many things, but your health will thank you for these efforts.

Whether you’re shopping or storing food at home, keep the raw meats and poultry away from ready-to-eat food items in shopping baskets, grocery bags and refrigerators. Also check that your food products are stored at recommended temperature settings to maintain their freshness.

Refer to this image from the SFA for food storing guidelines:

For now, it would be safer for you and your family to consume food that has been cooked well. Microwaves are an easy solution for making fast meals, but make sure that you cover the food, mix and rotate to ensure even cooking. Meats should be cooked at 70 degree celsius or higher to kill germs and egg whites and yolks should be cooked until they are firm. 

When defrosting food, avoid leaving them on countertops to defrost. Instead, leave them in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave. 

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Text: Tan Gin Yee