2024-08-02 09:12:46
Videos preaching the benefits of raw milk or the protection of organic foods for the simple fact of eating organic flood networks, and their effect, combined with the heat, have caused a significant rise in food poisoning in Spain. This is what science says about how to prevent them.
Climate change and foodborne pathogens
The increase in food poisoning with the summer heat in Spain is not new, it has occurred since the records of outbreaks began at the end of the 80s of the last century, and that is due to the fact that the pathogens that cause them found in summer. the perfect friend to repeat.
What is new is that they have increased since 2021, going from approximately 400 annual outbreaks to 600, the He is a Professor of Food Safety University of Barcelona (UB) José Juan Rodríguez.
The increase is attributed, in part, to higher temperatures resulting from climate change.
A recent study by Spanish researchers published in the journal Science of the General Environment found that the hospitals linked to the three most common food poisoning in our country (salmonellosis, diarrhea or Escherichia coli infection) by 12% for each degree of temperature above 34.
And another problem is that people do not know how to treat foods with high temperatures or have been influenced by information without a scientific basis on the networks and the Internet, since a good part of the infections took place in the premises, he explained to EFE. Isidro Miron, regional head of Public Health of Castilla-La Mancha and professor at the Juan Carlos I University.
play roulette
The authors of the most recent scientific publications on food safety agree that following advice on food preservation on the net is like “playing Russian roulette with food poisoning.”
On top of the high risk activities that are susceptible to poisoning is the consumption of raw milk.
Cold chain brake
Another of the most important mistakes in the kitchen in the face of infections such as listeria, one of the most violent poisons with death rates of up to 30%, is breaking the cold chain in food.
Avoid it a little easier: no cooked food should be left at room temperature for more than 15 minutes when it exceeds 30 degrees.
Two microorganisms that are very common due to lack of cold are ‘Bacillus cereus’, which grows in any type of cereal that is not stored in the cold and ‘Clostridium perfringens’, which grows in cooked foods when they are leave them to rest outside the refrigerator.
“The latter grows, for example, in meatballs or lentils that are left at room temperature. The bottom of the food is left without oxygen and bacteria grow,” explained Rodríguez.
Isidro Miron also remembers that salmonella finds its optimal biological temperature between 30 and 37 degrees, and a meal at that temperature doubles the number of bacteria in just 20 minutes.
The expert also warns of the danger posed by cooked foods to take to the beach or the countryside and keep at room temperature until eaten a few hours later: without refrigeration they are the best breeding ground for food bacteria.
Freezer temperature
Are we protected from getting sick by keeping food in the refrigerator? Not entirely, experts warn. Refrigerators must be clean and at the right temperature: at least 5 or 6 degrees Celsius for the refrigerator and at least 18 degrees for the freezer.
To avoid food-borne diseases, it is also important to carry out the sterilization process correctly: it should be done with heat in the refrigerator and not at room temperature.
And pay attention to homemade preserves, common in summer: only 2.5 hours of cooking will ensure that they are free of bacteria.
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