Tips for Consumers' Food Safety During Chinese New Year

BANGKOK, January 19 (TNA) - Thailand's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided tips on food safety for consumers during the upcoming Chinese New Year festival, including, particularly, purchasing food products with only natural colours and odours from reliable sources and ensuring hygienic processes of preparing and storing food. According to FDA Deputy Secretary General Srinuan Korakotchakorn, there are five harmful chemicals frequently found in randomly-inspected food products, namely formaldehyde, borax, salicylic acid, sodium hydrosulphide and insecticide. Formaldehyde is often found in seafood products and fruits and once entering a body, it affects liver, kidney, heart, brain and, probably, leads to death, if consumed in an excessive amount. Borax, meanwhile, is commonly found in meat and rice balls and, probably, causes food poisoning, vomit, bloody diarrhoea, skin irritation and even reduces blood pressure or leads to unconsciousness and death. Salicylic acid is most often found in pickled fruits and vegetables, affecting stomach and intestines. Sodium hydrosulphite is usually found in bean sprout, tofu, ginger and noodles, causing burns of mouth, throat and stomach, vomiting and even leading to death. Insecticide is usually found in fresh fruits and vegetables and dried squid, causing muscle twitch, stroke, breathing difficulty, unconsciousness and cancer, if excessively consumed. For their safely, Srinuan suggested, consumers purchase only food products with officially-certified labels and always check expiry dates of the food products to ensure their safe consumption. Also, Srinuan said consumers should thoroughly wash their hands and utensils before preparing food, separate utensils for handling raw and cooked food, keeping fresh food products well-stored and preserved in refrigerators and consuming only well-cooked food. (TNA)