Specialists warn population to keep food safety rules

While making shopping for the New Year, it is absolutely necessary to pay attendtion to the expiry date of the products purchased, Lilit Hunanyan, chief specialist at the Health Ministry's food safety department has said.

At a news conference on Monday, she warned the population not to buy meat and dairy products from streets and strictly follow the rules of food hygiene.

She especially warned people against mixing different food substances and eat everyting in limited proportions.

"It is undesirable to take wine with mushrooms. Mutton too, can cause allergy," the specialist said, recommending the population to avoid using dairy products with mushrooms.

She also added that salads should not be kept in refrigerators for more than 24 hours.

New Year food poisoning, she said, is mainly caused by conserved food which should be avoided to the maximum or be boiled for 20-25 minutes before being used. Asked whether there were real guarantees that factory-produced conserved products are safer, the specialist said that high pressure in factories help kill botulism germs.

She also spoke of the methods of preserving and using the traditional ham, saying that it should not be kept on new year table for more than 72 hours and must be necessarily fried before being served.

Hunanyan also said 18 cases of mushroom posioning were this year registered in Armenia, causing serious health problems in 32 people, 4 of whom died.

She also recommended people to immediately contact a doctor upon feeling the first signs of poisoning (nausea, vomiting, dizziness and pains in the abdomen).