Advisory re Willi Hahn Enterprises, whose proprietor was identified as Will D. Hahn. Said store was at Park Square 1, Ayala Center, Makati. Said store sold an imported product which did not have a visible (to unaided eye) name or address of the
importer of said product. Also an employee of said store issued only provisional receipt No. 01317, although the buyer paid in cash.


http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/foodsafetytips111307.html
Food Safety Tips for Healthy Holidays

Parties, family dinners, and other gatherings where food is served are all part of the holiday cheer. But the merriment can change to misery if food makes you or others ill.

Typical symptoms of foodborne illness are stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea, which often start a few days after consuming contaminated food or drink. The symptoms usually are not long-lasting in healthy people—a few hours or a few days—and go away
without treatment. But foodborne illness can be severe and even life-threatening to those most at risk:

* older adults
* infants and young children
* pregnant women
* people with HIV/AIDS, cancer, or any condition that weakens their immune
systems

Combating bacteria, viruses, parasites, and other contaminants in our food supply is a high priority for FDA. But consumers have a part to play, too, especially when it comes to food handling in the home.

"The good news is that practicing four basic food safety measures can help prevent foodborne illness," says Marjorie Davidson, consumer educator at FDA.

1. Clean: The first rule of safe food preparation in the home is to keep everything
clean.
* Wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling
food. "For children, this means the time it takes to sing 'Happy Birthday'
twice," says Davidson.
* Wash food-contact surfaces (cutting boards, dishes, utensils, countertops) with
hot, soapy water after preparing each food item and before going on to the next
item.
* Rinse fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water and use a produce
brush to remove surface dirt.
* Do not rinse raw meat and poultry before cooking. "Washing these foods makes it
more likely for bacteria to spread to areas around the sink and countertops,"
says Davidson.

2. Separate: Don't give bacteria the opportunity to spread from one food to another
(cross-contaminate).

* Keep raw meat, poultry, and seafood and their juices away from foods that won't
be cooked while shopping in the store,and while preparing and storing at home.
* Consider using one cutting board only for foods that will be cooked (raw meat,
poultry, and seafood) and another one only for ready-to-eat foods (such as raw
fruits and vegetables).
* Do not put cooked meat on an unwashed plate that has held raw meat.

3. Cook: Food is safely cooked when it reaches a high enough internal temperature to
kill harmful bacteria.

* "Color is not a reliable indicator of doneness," says Davidson. Use a food
thermometer to make sure meat, poultry, and fish are cooked to a safe internal
temperature. To check a turkey for safety, insert a food thermometer into the
innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. The
turkey is safe when the temperature reaches 165ºF. If the turkey is stuffed,
the temperature of the stuffing should be 165ºF. Make sure oysters in oyster
dressing are thoroughly cooked.
* Bring sauces, soups, and gravies to a rolling boil when reheating.
* Cook eggs until the yolk and white are firm. When making your own eggnog or
other recipe calling for raw eggs, use pasteurized shell eggs, liquid or frozen
pasteurized egg products, or powdered egg whites.
* Don't eat uncooked cookie dough, which may contain raw eggs.

4. Chill: Refrigerate foods quickly because harmful bacteria grow rapidly at room
temperature.

* Refrigerate leftovers and takeout foods within two hours.
* Set your refrigerator no higher than 40ºF and the freezer at 0ºF. Check both
periodically with an appliance thermometer.
* Never defrost food at room temperature. Food can be defrosted safely in the
refrigerator, under cold running water, or in the microwave. Food thawed in
cold water or in the microwave should be cooked immediately.
* Allow the correct amount of time to properly thaw food. For example, a 20-pound
turkey needs four to five days to thaw completely when thawed in the
refrigerator.
* Don't taste food that looks or smells questionable. Davidson says, "A good rule
to follow is, when in doubt, throw it out."

This article appears on FDA's Consumer Health Information Web page (www.fda.gov/consumer), which features the latest updates on FDA-regulated products. Sign up for free e-mail subscriptions at www.fda.gov/consumer/consumerenews.html.



cooking safety tips
web sites with free cooking safety tips:

http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/safey_guide/sg_kitchen_w001.aspx

www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/index.html

http://www.premiersystems.com/recipes/kitchen-safety/

http://www.premiersystems.com/recipes/kitchen-safety/fire-safety.html

www.municipalaffairs.gov.ab.ca/documents/ss/cookingsafety.pdf -

http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/foodsafety/safetytips.shtml

http://parenting.ivillage.com/mom/kitchen/0,,cn8,00.html

http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/safety_guide/sg_fire_w001.aspx

http://www.consumersunion.org/food/0820nastdc898.htm

http://www.foodreference.com/html/turkeystrawr1.html

Recipe for Safer Cooking
Consumer Product Safety Commission. Document #558.
www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/558.html

http://www.emaxhealth.com/2/75/26805/food-safety-tips-festive-holiday-season.html

http://www.tbnweekly.com/pubs/clearwater_citizen/content_articles/111908_cit-05.txt

www.mass.gov/Eeops/docs/dfs/osfm/pubed/flyers/cooking_safety.pdf - Similar pages

http://survivedisaster.info/disaster-preparedness/2008/02/03/cooking-safety-tips/

http://www.ul.com/newsroom/cooking/tips.html