The path of foods to our table - Meat and fish

After delving into general tips for avoiding food contamination and foodborne diseases, let's explore what specific precautions to take when dealing with meat, fish and seafood.

Meat and poultry:

1. Purchasing:
   1. Purchase only products displayed on refrigerated counters;
   2. Check carefully that they do not give off unpleasant odors or have irregular coloring;
   3. If they are packaged products, check that the packages are intact;
   4. If they are frozen products, on the other hand, it is important to check that the cold chain has not been interrupted. This means checking that:
      1. the packages are not covered with ice or frost, wet or altered in any way in shape,
      2. the store's freezer has a thermometer that reports the temperature,
      3. the counter is not overfilled, exceeding the loading line (this is visible on freezer counters as a colored line);
   5. Keep these products separate from others in the shopping bag, avoiding direct contact;
2. Storage:
   1. If not prepared right away, they should be stored immediately in the refrigerator at temperatures no higher than 4°C, wrapped in aluminum foil so that they are separated from other foods and with a maximum of two to three days; if not consumed in a few days, freezing in aluminum foil is appropriate; in the freezer they can be stored for 4-5 months;
3. Preparation:
   1. Animal products should never be eaten raw;
   2. It is good to wash them thoroughly with warm water before cooking them;
   3. Whole meats and poultry should be thawed in the refrigerator or microwave oven if previously frozen. In case they have been frozen in small pieces, however, they can be cooked directly;
   4. They must be cut into small pieces before cooking so that they reach sufficiently high temperatures even inside;
   5. They should be consumed immediately after cooking, discarding the "rare" parts;
   6. If they are not consumed immediately, it is important not to let them cool to room temperature. They should be stored in the refrigerator while still hot and reheated quickly (at a high temperature for at least ten minutes) before consumption;
   7. Meat broths should be consumed immediately after cooking or be refrigerated or frozen immediately;
   8. Utensils or worktops that have been in contact with raw food should never be used for preparing and cutting cooked meats;
   1. After preparation, it is important to carefully wash hands, utensils and worktops with hot water and soap.

Fish and seafood:

1. Purchase:
   1. Do not purchase products displayed on unrefrigerated counters;
   2. Verify that the products are fresh, checking, for example, that the scales are shiny and adherent to the body, the eye is shiny and protruding, the gills are red, and the product does not emit unpleasant odors;
   3. When purchasing fish slices, check for dark or abnormal coloration at the point of contact with the spine;
   4. If the products are frozen, it is important to check that the cold chain has not been interrupted. This means checking that:
      1. the packages are not covered with ice or frost, wet or altered in any way in shape,
      2. the store's freezer has a thermometer that reports the temperature,
      3. the counter is not overfilled, exceeding the loading line (this is visible on freezer counters as a colored line);
   5. You must buy only seafood wrapped in netting and with a label showing where it came from and what checks have been done;
   6. Do not buy seafood kept on counters that are "refreshed" with seawater or of dubious provenance;
2. Storage:
   1. Fish should be gutted, washed and cooked immediately after purchase;
   2. If this is not possible, it should be stored in the coldest compartment of the refrigerator or in the freezer, separate from other foods;
3. Preparation:
   1. Do not consume raw fish and seafood;
   2. Frozen fish should be thawed in the refrigerator;
   3. Take extreme care during cooking that there are no pink areas near the backbone, especially inside the flesh;
   4. It is imperative to discard seafood that has not opened during cooking;
   5. After preparation, it is important to carefully wash hands, utensils and countertops with hot water and soap.

Sources:

• Health.gov