Seven top food safety tips for every Juan

Aside from charity, there’s something very important (nay, life-saving) that should begin at home — food safety. Kids learn a mouthful just from observing how Mommy buys food from the wet market or supermarket (as a kid, I loved tagging along when my mother goes to the palengke, a 10-minute, traffic-free jeepney ride away from home). My mother would leave the house very early in the morning, while I and my sisters were still sleeping, to catch the freshest catch from her favorite fish vendor. Early in life, I learned that fresh is best.

While teaching their children how to practice food safety, which they will carry through their adulthood and maybe even pass on to their own children, parents ensure that what they put on the table is safe and healthy for the whole family.

From mommies’ trusted partner in food safety, RFM Corporation, a leading food and beverage manufacturer in the Philippines, come these seven top tips on food safety for every Juan.

1. Buy food only from trusted establishments. Buying only from established and reliable retail establishments ensures that products and other items sold there have gone through stringent quality control. That translates to sanitation and safety for the whole family.

2. Remember this cardinal rule: Meat comes after non-perishables. When grocery shopping, buy the refrigerated/frozen items (meat and poultry) last, after you’ve picked all the non-perishables. Take double note: Make sure that the chilled/frozen goods are stored below the load line of the freezing unit — not at room temperature.

3. Do not buy items past “sell by,” “use by,” and expiry date. Often, the first thing I look for when I buy foodstuff in the supermarket is the expiry date. Because if food has expired, its safety and quality may be compromised.

But do you know what these marks mean? FYI, sell-by date is a guide for stores so they know how long a particular product has been sitting in the shelf. You should buy the product before the sell-by date. However, you can still store it at home for some time beyond the sell-by date, as long as you follow safe storage procedures.

On the other hand,  the “use by” and “best before” dates tell you how long the product is likely to remain at its absolute best quality before it’s opened. But you still can consume the product beyond its use-by or best-before date as long as you store the unopened item properly and make sure to check for off-odor, flavor, and appearance.

4. Practice proper hand-washing. Did you know that many studies show that the kitchen harbors the most bacteria than any other part of the house? And to think this is where all our food is stored and prepared.  Because our hands are one of the major ways to spread germs (or get sick yourself), remember to always wash your hands thoroughly before cooking and after touching raw food.

5. Cook food thoroughly at the right temperature. This ensures that any harmful bacteria present in the food  will be killed. These should be cooked well: pork, sausage, poultry. Regarding poultry, you don’t have to wash it beforehand, as long as it is cooked properly.

Note: If cooked food will not be consumed immediately, leave it to cool at room temperature for at least an hour-and-a-half before storing it in the ref.  Putting hot food in the refrigerator can cause uneven cooling which can lead to food poisoning!

6. Properly store and consume milk. Of course, we all know that milk should be stored properly. Buy ready-to-drink milk that went through UHT (ultra high temperature) treatment — meaning the milk goes through brief, intense heating and cooling before it’s immediately put into a sterile, shelf-safe Tetra Pak carton so it can last up to six months without refrigeration until it’s opened, such as Selecta Milk products in Tetra Pak cartons. Selecta’s eco-friendly packaging ensures that the milk is safe and nutritious even at room temperature, as long as the carton remains unopened. But make sure you refrigerate after it’s opened.

7. Keep foods covered and sealed. Store refrigerated foods in clean covered containers or sealed storage bags, especially meat. Be sure to check refrigerated leftovers daily for spoilage.

Happy and safe eating, everyone!

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The able disabled

Anton is a happy, proud employee at South Star Drug who works as hard as everybody else. But what probably makes him different from most employees is that he works with a smile on his face and a spring in his stride. And love in his heart.

Anton Ramirez is one of over a hundred PWDs (persons with disability) who have found gainful employment through Unilab Foundation’s Project Inclusion.

 What’s Project Inclusion all about?

Project Inclusion believes that given the right conditions and proper support, persons with disability can make a unique contribution in the workplace and the society.

There may be a lot of companies, organizations or foundations that help with the physical needs of persons with disability, but only a handful addresses the employment needs of PWDs, for there are a lot of able disabled. Ben Chan’s Bench is one of few companies who hire PWDs (like deaf-mutes). Philippine Airlines has PWDs in its catering service that’s behind PAL’s world-famous inflight meals. I once saw a busboy with Down Syndrome happily going about his job at McDonald’s in Markham, Ontario, Canada.

Through Project Inclusion, Unilab Foundation focuses on health gaps that are usually neglected by society. And that includes PWDs’ employment needs. Project Inclusion is a health program that facilitates the employment of PWDs. To date, 104 PWDs have been employed through Project Inclusion. Employers include South Star Drug, Bounty Fresh, Lundy Solutions, and the LGUs of Valenzuela and Carmona. So far, it has worked well for everybody.

A parent of a child with Down Syndrome has a heartwarming story to share of her son who was employed recently by South Star Drug (this testimonial was originally posted on the Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines Facebook page). 

Mommy Eloisa Ramirez is full of gratitude to the management of South Star Drug for opening their doors to PWDs as employees. “My son Anton with Down Syndrome started last Jan. 3 at your Antipolo branch. I never thought that this would be even remotely possible in my lifetime and even pondered the idea of migrating elsewhere so Anton could get a job.

“You don’t know how much you have made Anton and our family happy. He is so proud of his work and has been bragging to everyone and even mere acquaintances that he is working now.

“At first, I was worried that he might get tired easily or get bored. But he is so enthusiastic. Before, it was so difficult waking him up in the morning. But now, he gets up with just one tap and a whisper that it’s time for work.

“Yesterday, when I picked him up from work there were a lot of customers at the counter. The other staff told him that he could go home already. But he said, ‘Wait lang!’ He made sure that all the customers were attended to before he left. They asked him if he was tired and he said, ‘Hindi. Balik ako bukas.’ When he arrived home, his enthusiasm for work wasn’t dissipated. He did his chores of setting the table and putting the hangers and laundry clips in the container.

“I will not get tired of saying thank you for giving PWDs a job. It’s not only the monetary benefit but also the increase in self-esteem and self-worth that you have given them. Thank you for making them productive citizens of our country.”