03-08-2025
Food safety officials urge caution while storing meat
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Hyderabad: Nearly a fortnight after food poisoning claimed the life of an RTC employee after consuming stale meat during Bonalu celebrations at at Vanasthalipuram, a member of his family still continues to be under treatment.
However, nine others from the same family, including four children, have recovered.
According to health and food safety officials, the family consumed boti (goat intestines) that was stored in a refrigerator for over three days. Officials suspect the meat was not cleaned properly and might have contained faecal matter, which led to bacterial contamination, particularly 'Escherichia coli' (E coli).
"There is a high demand for meat during Bonalu, and people store a lot of leftover meat.
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sually, at that time, meat is not cleaned properly before cooking," an official from DMHO, Rangareddy said. "In this case, cross-contamination and unhygienic handling is suspected to have caused the food to become unsafe," he added. While leftover food was already discarded before samples could be collected, officials were awaiting lab results from stool and blood samples to confirm source of contamination.
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GHMC food safety officer B Laxmikanth stressed the importance of proper meat storage. "If meat is cleaned thoroughly and stored under freezing conditions, it can last longer, like we do with green peas, sweet corn, and others," he said. "But storing raw or cooked meat in a regular fridge and consuming it after several days increases the risk of contamination. Bacteria multiply rapidly in improperly refrigerated meat for a long time," he added.
Laxmikanth said while reheating food could kill some bacteria, it might not be effective for large meat pieces. "Only outer layers heat up, while the inside near the bone might harbour bacteria. This is why meat and meat products should be consumed as soon as possible."
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