The United Food and Drug Administration (EFET) gives helpful advice on safe consumption ahead of the holidays Easter.

As the related announcement notes, since the preparation of traditional Easter meals has been associated with increased consumption of meat, cheese, eggs, as well as sweets such as chocolate eggs, shopping planning, conscious food choices, and proper handling and storage protect consumers. against foodborne illness, it is cost-effective and helps to avoid food waste.

What we pay attention to in lamb and meat

When we buy lambs, we make sure that each carcass has oval-shaped seals on both halves, indicating that the necessary sanitary control has been carried out.

In particular, there are three categories of mandatory stamps:

• Carcasses that have been slaughtered in our country, either grown in Greece or in an EU Member State, are “bright blue”, i.e. turquoise, seal of conformity, in the center of which is written the code number of the veterinary approval of the slaughterhouse, and on the periphery the initials GR and the EU insignia.
• Carcases that have been slaughtered in other EU Member States and are transported to our country are marked with the color chosen by each EU Member State and the characteristic data (slaughterhouse approval code number, country and EU insignia) that refer to the country their slaughter.
• Carcasses slaughtered in third countries and imported into our country have a brown conformity stamp and information about the country of origin.

When we buy organ meats and meats, we make sure they are refrigerated in secure areas (such as refrigerated display cases) and that they are free of knots and/or cysts and that there are no changes in color. When choosing frozen entrails, we must take into account the date of freezing and the date of use of the product (for example, the indication: “USE BEFORE”, “USE BEFORE”).

Instructions for eggs and their coloring

When we buy eggs, we look at the prescribed indications on the packaging, such as quality category, weight, and minimum shelf life date.

Do not wash eggs before cooking, but store fresh eggs for good preservation in a cool place or in the refrigerator. Place boiled eggs separately from fresh eggs in the refrigerator within 2 hours of cooking and consume them within a week.

For dyeing eggs, we buy only approved dyes and strictly follow the instructions on the package. Color only those eggs that did not break during cooking.

Beware of chocolate eggs

When we buy chocolate eggs, because they usually contain small toys, we try not to give them to small children who may choke.

Please pay attention to the mandatory indication of the composition (for example, “milk chocolate”, “healthy chocolate”) and the date of minimum storage (for example, the indication: “USE PREFERRED BEFORE”).

Important instructions from EFET

• Buy food only from official, therefore controlled points of sale.
• See directions on prepackaged food packaging. Our label contains useful information such as product expiry date, proper storage conditions, nutrition information. If we have allergies, we pay special attention to the indication of allergenic ingredients, which are mandatory.
• In order to pay attention to hygiene conditions, cleanliness of equipment and store area, we choose to purchase food.
• Pay attention to hygienic conditions, the cleanliness of our home kitchen and the observance of hygiene rules when preparing food.
• Take care to properly store food in cupboards, refrigerators or freezers so that they are in their best condition while we are not using them.
• When we buy meat, let’s find out by a simple observation that it is placed in refrigerators or in refrigerated display cases that work by keeping cold.
• When choosing frozen meat, we must take into account the date of freezing and the date of consumption of the product (for example, the indication: “USE BEFORE”, “USE BEFORE”)
• Pay attention to temperatures. We make sure to refrigerate perishable products (eg milk, meat) as soon as possible after purchase.

We check if our refrigerator is working properly, i.e. the storage temperature is between +1°C and +4°C and the freezing temperature is less than or equal to -18°C (eg -20°C). Keep cooked food warm (above 60°C) before serving. Do not leave cooked food at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

It is noted that if consumers find spoiled, unsuitable, spoiled food on the market or encounter fraud or misrepresentation, they can file complaints at the five-digit telephone number 11717.

News today

Subscribe to kathimerini.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest news from Greece and the world at kathimerini.gr