World Food Safety Day!
Me being me, it has always been a struggle to juggle between deciding what to cook and finding the right ingredients for it or go grocery shopping for that impromptu cooking spree and sorting things to their respective places later or even worse… preparing the dish finally and cleaning up after that….!
There do come times when I like a clean and tidy house side of me overpowers the oh I am so burnt out to even refill my water bottle part of my self….and those are the times when Iover work and try to clean every nook and corner of the house, the kitchen counter, my bathrooms…leaving me even more exhausted.
Over a period of time, I have realised the importance of regular, timely shorter cleaning sessions….which not only help minimise those extended day-long scrubbing periods but also are an important aspect of maintaining hygiene around the food that we eat. And what better day to discuss this than on the World Food Safety Day!!! WHO has declared this year’s theme as “Safe food better health”. Well, I wouldn’t lose this opportunity to share my thoughts on food related habits that I follow or let’s say….want to follow! Here are the top 5 from my list:
1. Shop for smaller portion sizes and shop fresher.
Well this is something I am trying and yet to perfect it. To shop lesser quantities…it makes sense, right, to buy fresh- vegetables/fruits/groceries, instead of stocking them, unplanned, and then those either get dried up or shrivelled or infested without proper storage.
So, if there is a possibility, probably buying fresh and only quantities that are required, is a better option.
2. Sorting immediately after shopping.
OK… so this looks like an easy one to adopt. Sort and store all the groceries- perishable and non-perishable, immediately after the purchase. The urge to let them sit on the counter till the need to use them comes may feel legit, but trust me, it saved me a lot of time to and energy to “Not hunt for things from the stock pile” by sorting them immediately into their respective places. Of course, if there are frozen foods included in that grocery stuff, it is a mandatory step, even for dry items, it does make sense!
3. Planning meals and managing left-overs:
Well this one I have already covered in my earlier blog. You could take a quick peek at it here.
4. Cleaning up after a meal and in the night.
This….is definitely a long way!
Unless its a weekend, sticking to this is a real struggle. Cleaning up the counters and dishes immediately after a meal is the most logical and easy thing to do…however, the daily hustle may often sabotage this idea. Cleaning up before bedtime every night is also an option, ensuring no microbes breeding ground as well lesser headache for the next day! I am on it….but still a long way to go! Oh come on…don’t judge me now!
5. Clearing and cleaning refrigerators regularly.
This is real deal. Usually stuff that once goes inside my refrigerator becomes like that Bermuda triangle story….it never comes out…and eventually, can get spoilt….so many things. So yes…my fervent efforts are to pick this habit…to clean up the refrigerator as frequently as possible.
So the thing if, Food Safety practices at home is a clear collective effort…a family endeavour. It is not a one person’s job. The entire family needs to adopt these small and simple steps for a healthy and hygiene food experience!
This World Food Safety Day, I am going to try to get one step closer to “Safe Food and Better Health”.