Ministry of Food and Drug Safety recommends keeping food refrigerated due to summer heat wave

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (Minister Oh Yoo-kyung) recently urged special attention to food poisoning due to high temperature and high humidity, including persistent heat waves, tropical nights, and unpredictable torrential rain due to climate change.

In particular, as the risk of food poisoning has increased due to flood damage caused by heavy rain this rainy season and the full-scale heat after the rainy season, it was emphasized that more attention should be paid to the management of food ingredients, storage and management of cooked food, and sterilization and disinfection of food utensils and containers.

Bacteria can multiply rapidly in weather with heat waves during the day and tropical nights at night, so it is advisable to consume cooked food within 2 hours as much as possible.

When storing food in the refrigerator, refrigerated food should be kept below 5℃ and frozen food should be kept below -18℃. Place foods to be consumed quickly on the side of the refrigerator door where temperature changes are large, and foods that require long-term storage should be sealed and stored deep in the freezer.

However, since microorganisms that can survive even at low temperatures can proliferate in the refrigerator, it is recommended to always keep the refrigerator clean and use less than 70% of the total capacity to maintain an appropriate temperature. Households that use groundwater must boil drinking water before using it, and containers and cooking utensils filled with groundwater must be kept clean through boiling and disinfection.

Never consume food that has been flooded by heavy rain or has the potential to be flooded, and food that has not been stored in a refrigerated or frozen environment for a long period of time due to a power outage, etc. must be discarded. As the number of heat wave days is expected to be higher than normal this summer, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety urged people to strictly follow food poisoning prevention rules, such as washing hands and cooking properly.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced that it will continue to do its best to create a healthy and safe eating environment for people in the summer.

Editor. Seyeong Hong