How to recognize contaminated food

The fact that some sellers use chemicals to soak vegetables, fresh or cooked food, and mix drinks is currently causing concern for housewives. However, if you pay attention, you will eliminate health risks for your family.

Being careful when buying food will help you limit risks to your family's health.

Chemically infused fruit

Fruits with chemicals often have a strong, unpleasant smell because after spraying, people do not allow enough time for isolation before bringing them to the market. Therefore, when buying, you should wash them thoroughly, do not eat them immediately, but wait a few days for the chemicals, if any, to decompose. In addition, when buying, put them in a plastic bag and wrap it up for a moment, then open it and smell. If there are residual chemicals, there will be a slightly strong smell.

Gypsum-containing tofu

Based on the senses, tofu containing gypsum is often very hard, heavier than tofu produced by traditional methods. The more gypsum is used, the harder the tofu is. Therefore, when buying, choose tofu that is softer and lighter in weight.

Chemical lemon tea

If you use chemical sugar in lemon tea, after a few minutes of drinking, you will feel a burning sensation in your throat for quite a while. Chemical sugar was banned from use in food because it does not provide energy like regular sugar and is suspected of causing cancer.

Vermicelli contains chemicals

The sign to identify vermicelli and fresh cake products... contaminated with Tinopal is to observe with the naked eye that the product has a white color and is shinier under light.

Green vegetables contaminated with pesticides

When you see the leaves are younger than normal, or the leaves are dark green, brittle and have almost no signs of pests or diseases, these are vegetables that the grower has applied too much nitrogen fertilizer or foliar fertilizer and sprayed pesticides and diseases but did not ensure the quarantine period. For these vegetables, the ingredients contain a lot of nitrate nitrogen (NO3) and plant protection chemicals that are harmful to human health.

Bamboo shoots soaked in sulfur

Bamboo shoots dried with sulfur will have a characteristic burnt smell of bamboo shoots soaked in sulfur, when smelled, there will be a smell of SO₂very characteristic (smell of sulfur). Bamboo shoots soaked in chemicals are often shiny, eye-catching, and never moldy. Therefore, you should not buy bamboo shoots with unusual colors. Avoid buying sour bamboo shoots that are not in the normal harvest season. You should only buy dried bamboo shoots that are stored in plastic bags with labels, addresses, and clear origins; Do not use damaged or moldy bamboo shoots to process into food. Bamboo shoots that ensure food safety are often light yellow-brown, amber-colored, with meticulous veins and thick flesh. When touched, there is no feeling of moisture and can be broken. Bamboo shoots still retain a characteristic aroma, have no strange smell, and are not moldy.

Vegetables with bleach

To whiten and increase the crispiness of vegetables such as banana flowers, lotus roots, bean sprouts, water spinach stems, fresh coconuts, etc., sellers soak them in sodium bisulfite, which is a strong oxidizing and reducing agent with antiseptic and bleaching properties. Therefore, it should be noted that vegetables and fresh coconuts, when peeled and peeled, will be dark black or yellow-brown, not pure white; banana flower stems and water spinach, after being grated, will be soft, not crispy or hard. It is best to buy banana flowers, water spinach stems, lemongrass, whole coconuts, etc. and peel and process them yourself. If you want them to be white and crispy, soak them in lemon juice mixed with salt. You can rely on the pungent smell to identify vegetables soaked in bleach. To be safe and reduce the risk of vegetables soaked in chemicals, the purchased ingredients should be washed under a strong tap several times.

According to TNO - MD