Food poisoning, how to avoid it: “Be careful of leftovers kept on the table for hours and raw foods”

Foods eaten raw, especially fish or eggs. Dishes that are too abundant, which remain on the table for hours before being put back in the fridge. Leftovers used again in the following days without being properly reheated. Unwashed hands and kitchen tools used interchangeably for raw and cooked foods. They are the main causes of foodborne diseases.

One of these, it is not yet known which one, killed two women (a 50-year-old mother and 15-year-old daughter) between Saturday and Sunday in Pietracatella, in the province of Campobasso. The father is hospitalized in intensive care at the Spallanzani Institute in Rome.

“Death too quick”

“The majority of foodborne infections are not actually life-threatening,” he explains Enrico Di Rosadirector of the hygiene and public health service of ASL Roma 1 and president of Siti, the Italian Hygiene Society.

“The symptoms can be very annoying and debilitating, but they are generally self-limiting diseases, with the exception of botulinum and mushroom poisoning. The rapidity with which the family from Molise worsened and the deaths of the two women are mysterious and disturbing. They would make you think of mushrooms. In fact, other foods, no matter how contaminated, are unlikely to lead to death so quickly.”

The 60 degree rule

Christmas and New Year are a festive period also for the microorganisms that proliferate in foods. “Food poisoning can be caused above all by virus e battery or give toxins produced by these microorganisms. There are many, but fortunately the rules to prevent them are the same for everyone,” continues Di Rosa.

“The cookingand in general a temperature above 60 degreesreduce the vast majority of risks. The same goes for storing in refrigerator. In the intermediate phase in which a dish cools or is kept on the table for a long time waiting to be eaten, microorganisms can instead proliferate. And they also know how to do it very quickly and efficiently. I’m reminded of the roast, which is perhaps cut with the same kitchen tools used for raw meat or touched with dirty hands. The slices left on the table quickly drop below 60 degrees and microorganisms begin to multiply in the contaminated food,” explains Di Rosa.

Different cutlery for cudo and crotto

Raw meat, fish or eggs may contain viruses or bacteria. For this reason the first rule is to wash them silverware hey containers used before cooking and bring clean ones to the table.

Even in fridge potentially contaminated foods (including verdure not yet washed) should be kept in separate compartments from ready-to-eat foods. However, the greater diffusion of the consumption of raw fish or the use of raw eggs in pastry making leaves the door open to some risks.

The danger of raw eggs

“Tiramisu, mayonnaise, eggnog or creams can be contaminated by bacteria such as salmonella, which are transmitted from chickens to eggs” continues the hygienist. “In the absence of cooking, pasteurized eggs can be used, as is done for industrial preparations, or the food can be consumed immediately after preparation. Even a contaminated egg, if eaten immediately, maintains a limited and generally non-dangerous number of bacteria”.

The bad taste or smell does not always protect against food poisoning. “Taste changes indicate putrefaction, but it takes a long time to reach this point. Many types of contamination are impossible to detect with the senses.

And that of uncooked fish

“One of the food poisoning infections on the rise today is the so-called scombroid syndrome” explains the president of Siti. “It is transmitted by raw fish, the consumption of which has been growing in recent years.” Tuna (sometimes also canned), mackerel and more rarely salmon are the varieties most at risk when the cold chain is not respected.

“If stored poorly from fishing to processing, these fish can be contaminated with bacteria that produce large quantities of histamine.” It is a substance present in all animals, including humans, but which in large quantities can cause health problems. “Immediately after consumption you feel very ill, with tachycardia, fainting, headaches, hives. The symptoms are so impressive that you generally go to the emergency room, but even in this case it is very difficult to lose your life due to scombroid syndrome.”

In the case of industrial production or collective catering, the rules, controls and possibly recalls of contaminated foods are the most valid system for preventing food poisoning.

As a hygienist for the ASL Roma 1, Di Rosa found himself faced with the challenge of the Jubilee. “It was challenging, but it went well. Alongside the controls, we tried to make producers and restaurateurs understand that the rules to be respected are relatively few and simple. By not following them, on the contrary, an entrepreneur really has a lot to lose”.