Check cans carefully when buying tinned food

Abu Dhabi: With no food safety-related incidents reported during Ramadan so far, the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority has acknowledged the public and food businesses for their support and cooperation in maintaining a blemish-free record during the period.

In this concluding segment on food safety, experts from the authority provide ready answers to some questions about food that must have crossed our minds at some point of time or the other.

 When buying canned foods, how do we tell whether the contents are rotten?

Several indicators of rot appear on cans as a result of faulty packaging processes and chemical interactions between the can and both the food inside and the environment outside. We outline some of these below.

- Hydrogenous tumescence or swelling: This happens due to the interaction between acidic food and the metal that the can is made of. Hydrogen gas is produced from this interaction, and may cause a protrusion or dent on the outside of the can. On opening the can, there is a strong sense of metal, as in the case of some canned tomato products.

- Swelling due to excessive pressure inside the can: This may be due to the can being filled with the food item without leaving any free space on top. This is more likely to happen in high-altitude areas where the atmospheric pressure is low.

- Concavity at the sides of the can: This happens if there is too much free space near the neck of the can. This is caused by contraction of gases inside, leading to increased space inside the can.

- Change of colour of the can: The upper part of the can may turn brownish (the colour of iron oxide) due to the presence of oxygen. Some of the exposed parts of the can may also turn blackish grey due to the presence of sulphur in the food product, just as it happens to meat when hydrogen sulphide is formed.

- Rust on the can: It happens due to high humidity and heat. The iron in the can and the oxygen in the atmosphere interact, leading to rust.

 Manifestations of microbial rot:

- Swelling of can: It is similar to the swelling mentioned before in appearance but the size of the protrusion varies according to the gas produced. Bacteria that have formed inside the can produce carbon dioxide and hydrogen during metabolic activity. The smell, colour and flavour of the food product changes in such cases.

There are several ways in which food in such containers may be affected:

- Acidification: Food inside the can may be rotten but the container retains its shape. The bacteria inside the can become active in poor storing conditions, producing acidity. This happens in non-acidic canned foods like vegetables and meats.

- Coagulation in canned milk: Milk can get polluted by some bacteria that coagulate the milk without raising its acidity.

- Turbidity: This can be found mostly in canned juices and is produced by yeast or acidity-tolerant bacteria.

- Mould growth: Certain moulds might grow especially in non-acidic food and in those with high concentrations of sugar. This is mostly due to yeast.

How do we ensure food prepared for children is safe and healthy?

There are a number of conditions we must meet while cooking food for children.

- Cook well: Many raw foods and milk, poultry and vegetables are often contaminated by disease-causing microbes. Cooking food well is important to kill micro-organisms. The heat should reach every part of the food.

- Avoid storing cooked food: While preparing fresh food for the children is important, it should be served to them only after the heat has dissipated. Try to avoid storing food cooked for children. But if you have to, then please reheat it properly.

- Never mix raw and cooked foods: Even slight contact with raw foods can contaminate cooked foods. This contamination can occur due to direct mixing between raw and cooked foods or by contact with hands, tools, flies or unclean surfaces. You must wash your hands after touching raw food. It is equally important to wash tools, kitchen equipment and cutting boards, etc. properly after every use.

- Wash fruits and vegetables: Fruits and vegetables must be properly washed in clean water before giving to children to eat. It is advisable to peel vegetables if you fear potential contamination from fertilisers, pesticides or irrigation water. As for vegetables and fruits that cannot be peeled, they must be cooked before serving to children, especially to infants.

-  Use clean and safe water for drinking and cooking: It is important to use only clean and safe water while cooking food for children.

- Avoid using bottles for infants: Please use a cup or glass while serving drinks to infants because it is very difficult to clean the bottles to perfection. Wash well the cups, glasses, utensils, spoons and other tools used in cooking or serving food to children before and after use.

- Keep the food away from insects, rodents and other animals: Animals are a major source of food contamination because they carry disease-causing micro-organisms.

- Keep detergents, insecticides, etc away from the areas of cooking or consuming food.

-  Keep the cooking area clean and neat: Remnants and crumbs of food can be a major source of germs. They can also attract insects and other animals. Therefore, you must keep garbage in a well-covered place and dispose of it as soon as possible.

How can a complaint be lodged with the authority if someone is taken ill with food poisoning after eating at a restaurant or eatery?

You must call up our toll-free number 800555 at the earliest and give us the details. Any delay in reporting to us may help the food establishment that served you rotten food to escape the law.
 
It is important to take samples of the food that is suspected to have caused the poisoning and send them for laboratory testing at the earliest to confirm the cause of poisoning.

We are glad to assure you the number of food poisoning cases in Abu Dhabi has sharply declined over the years thanks to the vigil of our inspectors and heightened awareness and alertness on the part of the people.