Food Safety

Poisoning

The following foods pose a risk of poisoning:

• Unripe green tomatoes
• Undercooked or unripe pole beans (kidney beans), yardlong beans (green beans), white sword beans
• Sprouted potatoes (yam), sweet potatoes, peanuts
• Improperly processed or undercooked daylily can lead to colchicine poisoning
• Raw soy milk
• Wood ear mushrooms soaked for too long (not just wood ear mushrooms; all mushrooms soaked for extended periods carry a poisoning risk)
• Undercooked animal offal
• Unidentified mushrooms or undercooked mushrooms (There is a saying: "Red umbrella, white stem, eat them and you'll end up in a hearse together." Generally, the more beautiful the mushroom, the more dangerous it is.)
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Storing and cooking acidic foods in aluminum containers for extended periods also poses a poisoning risk, such as:

• Sauerkraut
• Dried bamboo shoots
• Tomato sauce
• Lemon juice
• Braised meat
• Soy sauce and pickled vegetables
• ……(Contributions welcome)

Allergy

The following are common allergenic foods (Note: Allergic reactions are generally lifelong):

Adults:

• Shrimp, crab, and shellfish (shellfish contaminated with bacteria due to lack of freshness)
• Peanuts
• Tree nuts
• Fish

Children:

• Peanuts
• Tree nuts
• Eggs
• Milk (mainly due to intolerance to A1 protein in milk)
• Wheat and soybeans

Salmonella Infection

Salmonella is more commonly found in animal-derived foods, but vegetables may also contain Salmonella if contaminated with feces.

The following foods pose a risk of Salmonella infection:

• Eggs that are not fully cooked
• Meat that is not fully cooked
• Milk that has not been pasteurized

Aflatoxin

Aflatoxins are commonly produced by Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus parasiticus, and several other molds in spoiled grains such as rice, beans, and peanuts. They are currently recognized as the most potent carcinogenic substances. Aflatoxins do not begin to decompose until heated to temperatures above 280°C, so their structure is not easily destroyed by ordinary heating methods.

The following foods pose a risk of aflatoxin poisoning:

• Spoiled peanuts
• Spoiled rice
• Spoiled corn

Note that the foods listed above also include their corresponding processed products, such as rice flour and cornmeal. Peanut sprouts (sprouted peanuts) produced through safe cultivation practices can be considered safe for consumption.

3-Nitropropionic acid

3-Nitropropionic acid is produced by Mutantia muscaria (sugarcane black rot fungus), a fungus commonly found parasitizing sugarcane and coconut palms. The primary manifestation of poisoning is damage to the central nervous system. Acute symptoms include vomiting, dizziness, paroxysmal convulsions, lateral deviation of the eyes (oculogyric crisis), coma, and even death. Long-term sequelae primarily involve damage to the extrapyramidal system, with main symptoms including flexion, twisting, spasms, limb rigidity, and reduced muscle tone at rest. There is currently no specific antidote for this toxin.

The following foods carry a risk of causing 3-nitropropionic acid poisoning:

• Red-heart sugarcane
• Rotten coconut

In addition to visual appearance as a criterion for judgment, odor is also an important evaluation standard. Rotten plants often emit distinctive odors (such as a fermented or sour smell). The best way to handle food that smells rotten is to discard it.

Parasites

Parasites can enter the human body through air, drinking water, food, and direct contact. Once parasites enter the human circulatory system, they can attack white blood cells, reach vital organs such as the lungs and liver, or block blood vessels and lymphatic channels, potentially causing conditions such as liver cirrhosis, portal hypertension, and elephantiasis. If a human serves as an intermediate host for the pork tapeworm, the parasites can even reach the eyes, heart, and brain, posing a life-threatening risk.

The following foods should be ensured to be fully cooked to avoid leaving corresponding parasites in the body:

• River snails: Angiostrongylus cantonensis
• Raw fish slices: Liver flukes
• Yellow eels: Gnathostoma
• Bullfrogs: Sparganum mansoni larvae
• Pork: Pork tapeworm
• Beef surface (it is safe to eat as long as the surface is cooked): Beef tapeworm

Food Safety Temperature

Heating food to sufficient temperatures and holding it for a certain amount of time can reduce the risk of bacterial and parasitic survival to a certain extent.

Different types of food have different temperature requirements. Cooks should use a kitchen thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the food.

Temperature measurement should use: a kitchen thermometer Measure the internal temperature of the food

The following are industry-standard food safety temperatures:

	Whole cuts	Ground	Whole bird
Pork	71°C	71°C
Poultry	74°C	74°C	85°C
Beef/Lamb	Rare: 63°C; Medium: 71°C; Well-done: 77°C	71°C
Leftovers	74°C

Based on the USDA 2011 latest standards, safe food cooking temperatures have been updated as follows:

	Whole Cut	Ground Meat
Pork	63°C (Rest for 3 minutes after removing from heat source)	71°C
Poultry	74°C	74°C
Beef/Lamb	63°C (Rest for 3 minutes after removing from heat source)	71°C

Food-Drug Interactions

Combining Certain Foods and Medications Can Lead to Serious Safety Risks The following are some behaviors that pose safety risks:

• Cephalexin and alcohol
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