Food in the refrigerator after Tet - a poisoning trap right in the house

Ms. Nguyen Linh Chi (Long Bien, Hanoi) said that after Tet, her family still had to eat leftover food due to over-shopping before.

To prepare for the 3 days of Tet, this woman ordered 5 kg of beef, 7 ready-made chickens, 2 salted chickens, 3 kg of shrimp and many types of pork, shrimp rolls, crab rolls, and various types of ham.

During Tet, the family eats at both parents’ houses. The food cooked for the offering is not used, so she puts it in a box or vacuum-sealed to preserve it, and so far she has not eaten all the leftovers from Tet. Chi calculates that she will not have to go to the market until the end of January.

The family of Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Van (Bac Tu Liem, Hanoi) also has a headache about how to deal with the surplus food cabinet after Tet. Her family continuously organizes meals but the nearly 500-liter refrigerator is still only partially empty.

Although she eats all kinds of food every day, Ms. Van herself does not feel hungry and her stomach is still full. She tries to use up all the food she cooks because it would be a waste to throw it away. Therefore, after Tet, this woman gained more than 3 kg.

During the recent Tet holiday, Bach Mai Hospital (Hanoi) received hundreds of emergency cases related to digestion, most commonly food poisoning and alcohol poisoning. Many people suffered from severe stomach pain after eating leftover bamboo shoot soup from the day before.

According to Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen - Director of the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital, there are two causes of food poisoning during Tet: food of unknown origin, cheap price, no label, unsafe production process, containing toxic additives. The second cause is improper food preservation leading to spoilage, bacterial contamination; storing too much food causes food to spoil, when processed it can cause poisoning.

Many families store food tightly packed in the refrigerator, leading to poor air circulation and this is also a breeding ground for bacteria and germs such as E. coli, Salmonella, etc.

Doctor Nguyen recommends that when preparing food, if you notice any odor, immediately discard it. In cases of mild poisoning such as vomiting, stomachache, diarrhea, the patient should drink plenty of water and electrolyte water to avoid dehydration, and eat easily digestible foods such as porridge.

According to Associate Professor Nguyen Duy Thinh - former lecturer at the Institute of Food Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, after Tet, food groups that are easily poisoned are mainly related to preservation. Raw meat and seafood contaminated with bacteria and cooked foods such as ham, fried spring rolls, and banh chung left for a long time can easily spoil and poison consumers.

Many families put leftover food in the refrigerator, unintentionally creating a breeding ground for bacteria. Most people have the habit of storing leftovers in the refrigerator for immediate consumption, and in the freezer for longer storage. However, storing raw and cooked food in the same compartment can easily create a breeding ground for bacteria.

In addition, storing food causes the refrigerator to overload, heat up, and make it difficult to maintain the right temperature, causing bacterial contamination.

Associate Professor Thinh recommends that people do not refreeze thawed meat. Do not store raw and cooked food together because it can easily cause bacterial contamination. Unfinished pre-cooked food from the previous meal should not be left out for more than 2 hours in a normal environment. Cooked food stored in the refrigerator when reheated must be cooked thoroughly to kill any bacteria, if any.