FEHD steps up inspections of food premises selling poon choi during Chinese New Year period

FEHD steps up inspections of food premises selling poon choi during Chinese New Year period- do not entertain orders beyond handling capacity;
– purchase food ingredients from reliable suppliers;
– plan the preparation schedule carefully so that foods that are perishable or easily contaminated are not cooked too far in advance;
– train temporary food handlers before preparation of poon choi to make sure that they are familiar with the working environment and adhere to safe food preparation practices;
– maintain good personal hygiene, and wash hands with liquid soap for at least 20 seconds before handling food to reduce the risk of food contamination;
– cook all ingredients thoroughly with the core temperature reaching 75 degrees C or above for at least 30 seconds;
– keep hot poon choi above 60 degrees C and chilled poon choi at 4 degrees C or below in the refrigerator till it reaches the customers;
– provide written consumption instructions to remind customers of the proper method of storing poon choi that if not for immediate consumption, hot poon choi should be kept at above 60 degrees C while chilled poon choi should be kept in the refrigerator at 4 degrees C or below and be thoroughly reheated before consumption; and
– deliver poon choi to the destination as soon as possible and avoid keeping it under room temperature for prolonged period.- consume the poon choi as soon as possible after it is collected or cooked, and not to keep it under room temperature for more than two hours;
– keep chilled poon choi at 4 degrees C or below to minimise its exposure to the danger zone of temperature between 4 degrees C and 60 degrees C, thereby reducing the risk of bacterial growth;
– the poon choi should be thoroughly reheated before consumption and consumed as soon as possible, or kept at temperatures above 60 degrees C;
– as poon choi is generally served in a large pot, a longer period of time is required to reheat it thoroughly with the core temperature reaching 75 degrees C or above for at least 30 seconds; and
– maintain a balanced diet and avoid eating too much food with high levels of energy, sugar, salt or fat.Issued at HKT 11:00

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