Summer is a time of increased risk for food poisoning, rapid bacterial growth, and food spoilage. The recent mass poisoning in Poland, where over 100 people were poisoned by meat dumplings — importantly, from an external company — highlights this issue.
Why does the risk of poisoning increase in the summer?
The primary cause is temperature. The warmer it gets, the faster bacteria and other microorganisms develop, and the quicker food spoils due to biological, physical, and chemical processes. This is evident in beneficial processes like fermentation: the warmer, the faster cabbage ferments, bread rises, and yogurt ferments.
Any transport from an external producer, from a distant production kitchen, always poses an additional risk of food contamination and spoilage, especially in high summer temperatures. The key factors are the vehicle used for transportation (cleanliness, temperature) and the loading process itself. In practice, although procedures are theoretically and legally defined, they are often only theoretical.
How to protect yourself from poisoning in the summer?
Similar to other seasons, but more so. Since everything spoils faster, we must be more diligent about food safety. If we’re eating out, our options are limited because we can’t see into the kitchen or know how long and in what conditions the food has been stored.
Observing the cleanliness and organization of the establishment and the food serving area can provide some insight. For instance, a detail such as separating money handling from food handling is crucial. The same person should not handle cash and serve food without washing their hands or using gloves. If this is not observed, I would not recommend the establishment.
Another detail, which may seem minor but is significant, especially for someone like me with long hair, is whether the person handling food has their hair properly restrained. If sanitary guidelines like these are ignored, we can assume the kitchen conditions might be worse.
Pay attention to how cakes, snacks, sandwiches, and drinks are stored. Are they in the refrigerator or a cooling display, or are they left out at room temperature?
During summer heat, particular caution should be taken with the following products:
- Ice cream, cream cakes
- Tartare, sushi, and generally products with raw meat, fish, eggs, seafood
- Salads, especially with mayonnaise
- Strongly and aromatically seasoned products, as seasoning can mask the taste and smell of spoilage
A crucial point: your senses of smell, taste, and sight are your primary food safety controls. Pay attention to any off smells or tastes. Rancid, moldy, or rotten odors are alarm signals. It’s better to discard questionable food than to risk poisoning.
At home, be especially mindful of these products, remembering that all foods spoil faster in the heat. Quick cooling and proper storage in the refrigerator are essential. Follow standard hygiene rules, which I outlined in my article on food safety:
1. Maintain cleanliness.
2. Use separate stations.
3. Cooking kills the most harmful microorganisms.
4. Proper cooling is crucial.
5. Ensure freshness and observe expiration dates.
6. Limit or eliminate meat.
Sure, here is the translation:
It’s worth adding one more point to this list, which I only recently noticed myself.
A critical spot in every kitchen is the sink and the sponges, scrubbers, and scouring pads used for washing dishes. Moisture, warmth, and food residue create an ideal Petri dish for growing microorganisms.
At home, this is even more of an issue than in a professional kitchen, where hands, dishes, and dirty vegetables are washed in separate sinks. At home, everything is done in one sink, and sometimes someone might even pee in it without removing the dish sponge first.
Even if no one pees in the sink, food residue accumulates on the sponge from washed dishes. This poses an even greater risk in a home kitchen than in a professional one. In a professional kitchen, scrubbers wear out much faster due to intensive use, while at home we might use the same sponge for many days, not knowing that inside, bacteria are already drafting a constitution.
And here, with fanfare, the dishwasher enters… all in white.
Enter the dishwasher as a solution. Wash sponges, scrubbers, and brushes in the dishwasher along with the dishes. The 60°C temperature in the dishwasher is sufficient for basic disinfection, keeping the cleaning tools fresh and safe. Clean the sponge at the end of the day or after washing dishes with sticky food residues.
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