It is a typical myth that only foods of animal origin, similar to meat, seafood, eggs and dairy products, could cause food poisoning.
However, many plant-based products, similar to hamburgers, salads and desserts, also can contain pathogens and still look great.
As we enter the hotter months, here’s what you must take into consideration to guard yourself and your party guests from foodborne illness if you serve plant-based foods.
With a little bit preparation, you can make your next summer barbecue or picnic memorable for all the proper reasons.
It’s a dangerous time of 12 months
Summer means meetings with family and friends, on the beach, within the park and at home – in the warmth, sometimes without access to a refrigerator or with food left on the table.
The menu may even likely include plant-based products similar to burgers, salads and fruit.
It is commonly hard to inform whether a food is fit for human consumption. It doesn’t need to appear spoiled if there are clear signs of decay, similar to unpleasant changes in smell or consistency. So even when the food doesn’t look or smell good, it could still make you or your guests sick.
Depending on the food’s available nutrients, acidity, water content, and the way it’s processed and stored, plant-based foods may still provide appropriate conditions so that pathogens can thrive and still look perfect.
So let’s take a have a look at Australian barbecue, whose spread includes plant-based burgers, salads and fruit.
1. Hamburgers
Featuring vegan grilled items similar to lentil burgers and plant-based processed patties high levels of protein and moisture. This can encourage bacterial growth in the event that they should not cooked or stored properly.
For example, studies in Finland tested vacuum-packed vegetarian sausages and located that a big proportion of them contained spores. This is the organism that causes botulism, a rare disease of the nervous system that will be fatal if left untreated.
Nina Firsova/Shutterstock
2. Salads
Starchy salads, similar to those containing potatoes, pasta or rice, are vulnerable to contamination by a species of bacteria that is widespread within the environment. It produces heat-stable spores that survive cooking. The bacteria then multiply when food is stored at high temperatures.
Leafy vegetables and raw sprouts, similar to alfalfa, are also often linked to disease outbreaks attributable to (or abbreviated by) and since these foods are often eaten raw.
Salads and other dishes that require frequent preparation also can turn into contaminated with pathogens within the kitchen.
For example, many individuals naturally carry them of their noses. These bacteria can leach into food and produce toxins if the cook doesn’t wash his or her hands properly before handling food.
Food handlers are also often linked to foodborne illnesses norovirus epidemics on account of poor hand hygiene.
These pathogens typically cause intestinal symptoms similar to vomiting and/or diarrhea, which disappear inside roughly a couple of days to per week. However, some people will develop serious or life-threatening complications. For example, shiga toxin produced by is a typical cause hemolytic-uremic syndromea serious condition that may result in everlasting kidney damage or death.
Sunny Forest/Shutterstock
3. Fruits
While many persons are acquainted with the food safety hazards of desserts containing custard or custard, fewer may pay attention to the risks related to the standard fruit platter.
Fruit plates will be dangerous because cutting the fruit can transfer bacteria naturally found on the peel to the inside surfaces.
In 2018 22 cases of listeriosis were linked to eating melons provided by an Australian farmer. Last 12 months within the United States deadly salmonellosis epidemic has also been linked to the consumption of contaminated melons.
Frozen berries are also linked to many aspects outbreaks of hepatitis A virus in Australia and abroad lately.
Andrey Sayfutdinov/Shutterstock
What can I do?
If you’re preparing plant-based meals for a barbecue or picnic this summer, here’s how you can minimize the danger of you or your guests getting sick:
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wash your hands thoroughly before handling food, separate raw food from cooked food, and work with clean utensils and surfaces. This is to avoid self-contamination of food and to avoid cross-food contamination
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cook items similar to plant-based burgers and veggie sausages until hot
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After cooking starchy foods like rice, pasta and potatoes, transfer them to a shallow container to chill on the counter. Then put the container within the refrigerator. Do not put hot starchy foods within the fridge as this increases the temperature contained in the fridge, which may allow microorganisms to grow more quickly
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avoid buying damaged or bruised fruit and vegetables, and store cut fruit within the fridge
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transport food to the party in an insulated bag or cooler containing ice cubes and only remove it when it is time to serve
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After serving the meal, cover any leftovers and return them to the refrigerator or insulated container. If food has been out of the refrigerator for a very long time 4 hours or more (including storage, preparation, transport and serving), throw them away.
It can be value considering how much food we actually need. It’s easy to overdo it, creating leftovers that can make you sick if not stored properly.
