For a Safe Holiday, Buy Frozen Foods Last...Key Grocery Shopping Tips

Processed Foods, Meat, Then Seafood
Wash Your Hands Before Moving to the Next Step

Careless actions during the Lunar New Year holidays can lead to foodborne illness. To prevent this, you should purchase foods in the order of room-temperature storage foods, refrigerated foods, and then frozen foods, and use an icebox or ice packs to maintain the storage temperature while transporting them.

If you purchase items online, you should check their delivery status and make sure the products are not left at room temperature for a long time.

On February 15, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety provided guidance on proper grocery shopping and food preparation methods to prevent food poisoning accidents that can easily occur during the Lunar New Year holidays.

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First, when storing purchased ingredients, it is essential to keep them "separately stored" to prevent cross-contamination. Holiday foods stored at room temperature for more than 2 hours are at a high risk of bacterial growth that can cause food poisoning. Eggs, raw meat, and fish should be stored separately so that they do not come into direct contact with vegetables and fruits that are eaten without heating. It is more efficient to store ingredients that will be used immediately on the refrigerator door, and those that will be used later in the inner part of the refrigerator or in the freezer.

The ministry also provided guidance on the order of holiday grocery shopping. To prevent food poisoning, foods that do not require refrigeration, such as flour or cooking oil, should be purchased first, and foods that require refrigeration, such as fruits, vegetables, ham, and fish cakes, should be purchased later. For refrigerated foods, buying them in the order of processed foods, meat, and then seafood helps maintain freshness.

Ministry of Food and Drug Safety

Care must also be taken to avoid cross-contamination when washing ingredients. After touching eggs or raw meat, you must wash your hands before preparing other ingredients such as vegetables. Knives and cutting boards should be separated for vegetables and for meat, and if you use a single tool, you must wash it thoroughly with detergent every time you switch ingredients.

If you refreeze thawed frozen foods or leave them for a long time in warm water, bacteria that cause food poisoning can multiply. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety emphasized that once food has been thawed, it must be cooked immediately.

When preparing home meal replacements (HMR) or meal kits, whose consumption has recently been increasing, you should carefully check the storage instructions and consumption date indicated on the packaging, and ensure that they are thoroughly heated before eating.