What precautions will you take while purchasing food? Why?
Answers
While purchasing food the precautions to be taken depends on the "type of food"
EXPLANATION:
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables:
- We must not buy fruits and vegetables which are damaged since it can be infested with bacteria and can spread rapidly to the other fruits and vegetables
- When purchasing fresh cut vegetables and fruits select items which are refrigerated or enclosed by ice. It is essential that vegetables or fruits which have been cut or opened in some way are stored and kept in an ice-cold environment.
- No fruit but for apples must be rock-hard. Fruits such as bananas, avocados, and pears stay soft even after picking if provided they are left at room temperature. So, check the fruit for its soften by giving it a light squeeze
- Select a varied range of colourful fruits and vegetables. Different coloured vegetables and fruits contain different phytochemicals which have different nutritional benefits.
- Choose always season-based fruits. Vegetables and fruits which are in season are better in quality and also less expensive.
Fresh Meat Products:
- Check the colour of the meat product since colour reveals about the freshness of the product. Poultry meat usually is light pink or white in colour. Meat must not have green tinge or blood clots or any bruise on its surface. Red meat must be bright red in colour.
- Poultry meat must be odour-free; however may have a faintly meaty odour in rare cases. The smell of meat products is specific to the meat there must not be any inconsistency from the usual smell. We must ensure there is no pungent or foul odour to fresh meat.
- The texture of meat products must be firm and the muscle fibres should be visible. The meat should not be greasy or sticky when we touch and the meat must not look watery and translucent when it is cut. Meat fat must not be yellow in colour since it means that it is stale meat.
Packed Food:
- There must not be holes, openings, or tears in the packages.
- Check for safety seals. Do not buy a packed food whose seal appears damaged or tampered with.
- Avoid purchasing cans which are deeply dented, rusted, or bulging, or have a dent on the side or top seam. Bulging or deeply dented cans indicate botulism, and cans with a deep dent can damage the seam and permit bacteria to enter the can
Dairy and Milk Products:
- When purchasing dairy products, select containers and cartons which are cold.
- Ensure eggs are clean and are not cracked or broken.
- Purchase milk and other dairy products towards the end of your shopping trip. This will lessen the time these items are out of refrigeration.
Seafood:
- Purchase fish only from trustworthy sources like seafood markets and grocery stores.
- Check for appropriate cooling for fresh fish
- Purchase unwrapped cooked seafood such as crab, shrimp, or smoked fish if it is physically separated from the raw fish section or kept in a separate case.
Precautions one should take while purchasing food:
While purchasing food as an alert customer, we would take the following precautions:
a. We should check the expiry date on each product that we buy.
b. We should always make sure that if we are buying baggage, it should not be swelled due to excessive air nor should it be compressed due to less air.
c. We should always cross-check the MRP while purchasing any food item with the bill that is produced.
d. We should always check the weighing machine before putting the food items on it for weighing.
e. We should check whether the food container is not damaged or leaking.
These precautions are much needed because food safety is much important. Purchasing unhealthy food can cause serious problems like food poisoning.