Public Urged to Maintain Food Safety During Summer and Monsoon Season

Dragon Media Correspondent
Kathmandu, June 29 – With the rise in temperature and the beginning of the monsoon season, public health experts have urged people to pay special attention to food safety. During summer and rainy months, food items can spoil quickly, harmful bacteria can spread faster, and the risk of foodborne diseases increases significantly.

Consumers have been advised to remain alert from the moment they purchase food. Fresh, clean, and reliable food materials should be used, while rotten, foul smelling, discolored, or spoiled food items should be avoided. Food that has changed in appearance, smell, or texture may pose serious health risks.

Authorities and health experts have also warned people not to buy sprouted potatoes, fish and aquatic products of unknown species, meat from animals or birds that died of disease or poisoning, or meat whose cause of death is unclear. Meat and animal products without proper health inspection or certification should not be consumed, as they may carry harmful infections.

People have also been advised not to collect, buy, or eat wild vegetables, wild mushrooms, or unknown plants unless they are certain about their safety. In many hill and mountain regions, poisonous mushrooms and wild plants can cause serious illness during the rainy season. Therefore, unidentified wild food items should be avoided.

Cleaning food properly is another important part of food safety. Fruits and vegetables should be washed thoroughly before cooking or eating. It is better to soak them in clean water for some time and then rinse them repeatedly under running water. This helps remove dust, dirt, pesticide residue, and microorganisms from the surface of food items.

Special attention should also be paid while preparing food. Cooking utensils, chopping boards, knives, plates, spoons, and other kitchen tools should be kept clean. Raw and cooked food should be kept separately. Raw meat, fish, eggs, and half prepared food should not come into contact with cooked food, fruits, or salad. If they are mixed, bacteria from raw food can contaminate ready to eat food.

Food should be cooked thoroughly. Half cooked meat, fish, eggs, and aquatic food products can be risky for health. Frozen food kept in refrigerators should be properly thawed before cooking. Food stored for a long time should be reheated properly before eating. Proper heating helps kill many harmful bacteria that may still be present in the food.

Leftover food should not be kept at room temperature for a long period during summer. Leftover rice, curry, vegetables, and other cooked food should be stored in clean containers, covered properly, and kept in the refrigerator. Different food items should be stored separately to prevent cross contamination. Cooked food kept at room temperature should ideally be eaten within two hours.

People who eat outside should choose hotels and restaurants carefully. Priority should be given to places that have proper food business permits, clean kitchens, clean dining areas, hygienic staff, and safe food storage practices. Eating from roadside stalls, open food vendors, or temporary food shops without proper permits can increase the risk of illness.

Open market food, night market food, grilled items prepared in unhygienic conditions, half cooked meat products, shellfish, aquatic products, and other high risk foods should be avoided or eaten only with great caution during summer. The source, storage condition, and cooking process of such food items are often unclear, which increases the possibility of food poisoning.

As online food delivery has become more common, consumers are also advised to be careful while ordering food through digital platforms. Before placing an order, customers should check the reliability of the seller, the restaurant’s food business permit, and its hygiene standards. Ordering from a nearby restaurant can reduce delivery time and lower the risk of food spoilage.

After food is delivered, consumers should check the packaging, seal, smell, temperature, and overall condition of the food before eating it. Food should not be consumed if the package is damaged, if the food smells unusual, if it appears stale, or if it has been kept in delivery for too long. Extra caution is needed while ordering raw food, frozen food, or high risk food items online.

Health workers say that cases of diarrhea, stomach pain, vomiting, fever, and food poisoning often increase during summer and monsoon months. They have urged households, hotels, restaurants, street vendors, and online food service providers to follow basic food safety standards. According to them, many foodborne diseases can be prevented by paying attention to the source, cleanliness, cooking process, storage method, and timing of food consumption.