Edyloid Chavez of the DA-Food Development Center offers helpful ways to prevent food contamination at home on ATI's teleradyo program on DZRH.
DILIMAN, Quezon City—To prevent foodborne illnesses at home, a food protection specialist from the Department of Agriculture (DA) encouraged Filipino families to be mindful in handling, preparing, cooking, and storing food and food items.
In a radio interview, Edyloid Chavez, officer-in-charge of the Quality Assurance Section of the DA-Food Development Center (FDC), offered helpful ways to ensure that the food being served for the family is safe and not contaminated.
“First, we need to clean everything that we buy from the market before cooking. We should also clean the chopping boards, cutting tools, plates, and other cooking items before using them. Second, we need to separate raw items from cooked food to avoid microbial cross contamination,” Chavez said.
“Third, we need to cook food using the right temperature. Meat should be cooked thoroughly. Lastly, we need to consume cooked food within two to four hours. Otherwise, it should be chilled within two hours after it’s been cooked to prevent the growth of microorganisms that can cause foodborne illness,” he added.
Chavez advised the use of containers and secure packaging when storing food and food items such as meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, and ready-to-eat products inside the freezer or refrigerator. Cleaning the refrigerator more than once a week is also ideal to avoid the build-up of bacteria and other harmful microorganisms.
The DA-FDC expert was the guest on the teleradyo program “Agri Asenso” of the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) last October 30, 2021. The interview, which aired via DZRH, was done in line with this year’s celebration of the Food Safety Awareness Week with the theme "Malinis at Ligtas na Pagkain, Responsibilidad ng Bawat Isa sa Atin."
Aside from food safety tips at home, Chavez also discussed sanitation standards being observed by food manufacturers and processors according to Administrative Order No. 153 s. 2004 or the Revised Guidelines on Current Food Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Packing, Repacking, or Holding Food.
He explained that these guidelines are aligned with the Recommended International Code of Practice-General Principles of Food Hygiene by the Codex Alimentarius Commission of which the Philippines is a member of.