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Do you experience nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, fever, or diarrhea?  You might be experiencing a foodborne illness! But, what has caused this sickness? You might think that what you have eaten is safe, but there are many factors to consider your food hazard-free. Here are some of the common causes of foodborne illnesses : Bacteria can easily contaminate food when you prepare it without observing proper hygiene. It is not enough that you wash your hands. You should wash it properly and whenever necessary. You should know the right temperature of cooking food. Cooking does not simply mean adding heat to the food. There are different types of food and each is cooked in distinct temperatures. It is only fitting to observe personal hygiene AND have a sanitary cooking environment. Make sure that you use clean kitchen equipment and utensil before preparing your food. It is also important to have separate utensils for raw food and ready-to-eat foods to avoid cross-contamination. Ensure that the food you buy is safe to eat. Food safety starts the moment you pick the food you are about to cook or eat. Purchase products from approved suppliers. Accomplish all of these and you will probably prevent all types of foodborne illnesses!

Food is one of the necessities we need to live. It is a must to ensure that what we eat is healthy and safe. As consumers of food, we do precautions right after we choose and buy food products. It is now our responsibility to prepare and safely cook food. But how can we be sure that the food we buy is safe? The food industry is responsible for the proper handling of products. This starts from the cleanliness of food up to how suppliers market their products. That is why food safety is a very familiar and important word for the industry. There are many advantages one can get from ensuring the safety of food. Here are some of the examples: Food Safety Benefits for the Food Industry Good reputation of their market Lesser to zero chance of endangering consumers Compliance with the law Happy and satisfied customers

These are some of the basic tips on handling food, starting from the preparation of meals up to serving. Happy (and safe) eating! Make sure that the product you buy is from a trusted source. You do not want your food to come from a dirty farm or market. Keep raw food in a different storage from ready-to-eat food. Put raw meat in a sealed container and store it on the bottom shelf of your fridge to avoid cross contamination. Check your utensils and ingredients. Make sure that all utensils to be used are clean and disinfected. Same goes with your ingredients. Raw vegetables should be washed before cooking. Washing raw meat is not necessary. Observe proper hygiene. Wash your hands properly before preparing, after touching raw meat, and every time you touch something unclean. Separate raw food from ready-to-eat food. Use separate plates and utensils when cooking to keep ingredients safe from contamination. Cook food thoroughly. Make sure that your food is cooked at the right temperature to kill bacteria. Avoid wearing nail polish, jewelry, and other accessories that might mix with your food. Accessories have bacteria that contaminate your food. Be mindful of what you are eating. Make sure that your food is safe to eat. Check your food first for hazards. Do not taste food that has a possibility of being spoiled. Food cannot be judged by its taste, smell, or appearance. Throw out expired food.

More and more food handlers are getting interested in training for FoodSHAP® certificate programs. With the fast-growing number of participants, we assure that we never forget to tend to their needs. The feedback from trainees is very important to guarantee their comfort. We see to it that everything is conducive for the food handlers’ learning. As the majority of the participants are Filipinos, it is usual that the language we understand the most is Tagalog. Because of that, Food Safety and Hygiene Academy presents its new certificate program, FoodSHAP® Foundations of Food Safety. The training is catered for participants that are more comfortable reading and listening in Tagalog language. Ang Food Safety at Hygiene Training Para Sa’yo! FoodSHAP® Foundations of Food Safety offers an interactive and quality learning for our food handlers. The training utilizes a workbook by FoodSHAP, Once Upon A Sakto Restoran. It is a Tagalog comic workbook that covers the fundamentals of Basic Food Safety such as the Five Key Elements of Food Safety. Activities are also installed in the book to test the trainee’s knowledge. Aside from the workbook, the training was also filled with activities that are as fun and as knowledgeable as other FoodSHAP® Certificate Programs. As of now, the FoodSHAP® FFS Training is in its second batch. Authorized Course Provider NSI Training and Consultancy Center had their first run for the Tagalog Food Safety and Zaide Foods Corporation followed suit.

It is a common misconception that food safety and food hygiene are of the same meaning. Many might use these terms interchangeably. This can confuse people who do not have enough knowledge on the area of both concepts. Let’s differentiate the two for better understanding. Food Safety is the set of practices one must observe for the food to be free from hazards. It ensures that the food we eat is fit for consumption. It encompasses all aspects of ensuring the food’s condition. Food safety starts from ensuring the cleanliness of food up to its quality and how suppliers market the product. In the Philippines, the main framework for Food Safety is the Food Safety Act of 2013. The law aids to both the industry and the consumers. It aims to protect the public from foodborne illnesses and for the industry to practice fair trade policies. Food Hygiene is an element of Food Safety. One of the practices needed to observe is the cleanliness of the food the people eat. It ensures that food is free from hazards. Factors such as contamination, food temperature, and the use of materials are in the scope of Food Hygiene.

News has circulated regarding the food poisoning happened at Imelda Marcos’ 90th birthday celebration last 3 July 2019. More than 10% of the 2,500 attendees at the Ynares Sports Complex, Pasig City experienced vomiting and dizziness during the party. They felt sick after eating chicken adobo with hard-boiled egg for the birthday party guests. Hundreds were rushed to the hospital and found out that they ate contaminated food. They were diagnosed with food poisoning but it is still uncertain as to what caused it. Hard-boiled egg is one of the foods prepared for the party. It is easy to prepare but it should be well-stored and prepared to avoid food contamination. An egg might be contaminated if its shell is cracked, for example. But how do we find out that the egg we eat is fit for consumption? DZBB‘s Kay Susan Tayo sa Super Radyo addressed this issue by having an interview with Ms. Elsie Gatpayat, Food Safety and Hygiene Academy of the Philippines (FoodSHAP®) General Manager. The broadcast revolved around the question, Bibili ka ba ng may lamat na itlog kung bagsak presyo ito? (Would you buy a slightly cracked egg if it is cut-rate?) The discussion focused on Egg Safety Tips. Here are some of the insights and egg safety tips we got from Ms. Elsie Gatpayat: Pathogen is the bacteria we find in flies.  Salmonella is the natural bacteria we find in eggs. If closed or not cracked, you may still check the smell to ensure freshness. Fresh eggs are harder to peel than old eggs. You can test the freshness of the egg by placing it in the water. If the egg floats, it is not fresh. You can also know that an egg is fresh if the yolk is placed in the center. If you bought a slightly cracked egg with its membrane still visible, it is advisable to cook it immediately. It is safe to eat if the egg white and yolk is fully cooked. If you plan to prepare raw egg (in salads, etc.), make sure that your provider is aware of the risks and applies safety measures for their product. Cook eggs thoroughly. The safest cooking process for an egg is to make it hard-boiled. The safest temperature for cooking eggs is 71 degrees Celsius and above. Wash your hands before cooking and before peeling eggs. Serve cooked egg within 2 hours. If you will not eat the egg within the said time, you can store it in the refrigerator and reheat the egg for one time only. If you find a cracked egg, you are not sure if an insect landed on it or bacteria lived on it. It is advisable that eggs are checked during handling. It is important to check the egg’s freshness—see to it that there are no cracks in the shell or it does not produce a weird smell. You can store raw and fresh eggs for 3-5 weeks in the refrigerator. If you bought a dozen, there is a possibility that there is an inscription of the egg’s expiry date on the tray. No need to wash the eggs if you are sure that it came from a clean and sanitized container. If you do not have a refrigerator, store the egg in a container that is clean and free from hazard. It is also best if you can cook it right after buying. Most of the producers practice proper sanitizing of egg. Buying from a trusted source means a cleaner product. Place hard-boiled egg near a cool temperature (juice, water container) if you plan to pack one. A warmer temperature may cause spoilage or contamination of the egg.