Eat healthy, live healthy

I have been associated with fruit, vegetable and meat preservation for 9 years in public sector and have also been teaching students regarding various methods of food preservation. Among all the foods, meat, chicken. fish and their products are more vulnerable to bacterial growth. So they are to be handled carefully. The moment they are slaughtered, bacterial growth starts and if not handled properly, they can be a source of food poisoning. There are two terms;

Chilled  Meat

Frozen Meat

Chilled meat means when we immediately after slaughter keep the meat at a temperature below 4⁰C. Chilling is done for short term storage of meat say 2 to 3 days until it is consumed. We keep fresh meat in a refrigerator below 4 ⁰C which we can call as chilling temperature. For longer periods, it is not advisable and bacterial growth starts in it which ultimately spoils it.

Second method is freezing of meat. Freezing means keeping the temperature of the meat below 0⁰C say around -18 ⁰C to -40 ⁰C. If meat and its products are kept at a temperature of -40⁰c, it will not spoil for a very long period and we can consume it after years. Its taste may have changed a bit, but it will be safe to consume as none of the bacteria or their spores remain active at a temperature of -40⁰c. The deep freezers usually in use have a temperature range of -18⁰c to -24⁰c. Even if meat and its products are kept at this freezing temperature, they can keep good for at least 6 months.

When meat is frozen and is to be transported from one place to another, the cold chain should not break. Frozen meat is usually transported in refrigerated vans which keep it in a frozen state till it reaches the consumer. In no way we can break this cold chain and expect that the meat or its products will be safe for human consumption. As soon as the temperature rises above 4⁰C, growth of harmful bacteria starts which spoil the meat and make it unfit for human consumption.

I wonder how some people are transporting such a delicate food product (meat/chicken) from markets as far as Delhi to Srinagar in cardboard boxes without any cold chain. We all know that the temperatures in the months of July and August in Delhi are around 35⁰c to 40⁰c and also in Kashmir the temperature is around 30⁰c. How it is possible that there will be no bacterial growth in meat or chicken when transported under ambient conditions at such a high temperature. Common people are unaware about all this and consume such meat, little knowing that it is harmful for their health.

I will not go in the Halal aspect of this meat or chicken which needs to be ascertained by the Government and the Private Traders who sell the meat and chicken in the market. Even if it is Halal, but the way it is transported and stored before reaching the hotels or the consumer is not a scientific way. Hence I advise the general public to abstain from taking meat or its products without ascertaining its source and the method of transportation and storage.

Muneer Ahmad Wani, Chief Horticulture Officer.