Many people have the habit of peeling off the moldy outer part before frying and eating, not knowing that moldy food produces aflatoxin, a toxin that can cause cancer.

During Tet, banh chung is an indispensable dish but it is very easy to get spoiled, moldy, and can cause food poisoning or digestive disorders. In fact, many families peel off the moldy outer part of the cake and fry it to eat.

According to the Food Safety Department, Ministry of Health, this is very harmful to the body because all moldy foods produce aflatoxin, which has adverse effects on human health over a long period of aflatoxin accumulation. Therefore, people should not be stingy but should throw away moldy foods. It is best to wrap just enough cakes to eat during Tet.

Besides, to ensure the cake is not easily spoiled, people need to note:

- The leaves used to wrap the cake must be washed thoroughly and drained. People are not used to wrapping the cake with boiled dong leaves, however, this is a way to help the cake last longer.

- After the banh chung has been cooked, you should wash the cake again with clean water so that the sticky water from boiling the cake will not stick to the food, keeping the cake from spoiling, especially in hot weather.

- Press down with a heavy object to make the cake more compact. You can use a tray or plastic sheet to cover it, then place a heavy object on top. The heavy object needs to be placed evenly over all the cakes that have just been boiled.

- Hang the cake in a cool, airy place to help the surface dry, ensuring hygiene and long-term preservation.

- Keep the whole leaf package in the refrigerator, cut it as you eat, cover the cut part with plastic wrap. If the cake becomes hard, boil, fry or steam it again and continue eating.

According to VNE