With approach of the Spring Festival, a time when family members and friends get together to enjoy fine food, some restaurants and food establishments have recently put “Pun Choi” on their menu. It has gained popularity as a choice of festive food for family reunion dinners and gatherings. Nevertheless, if the food ingredients are improperly handled or undercooked during its complicated preparation, like using a great variety of food ingredients and taking rather long cooking time, its potential hazards to health are relatively high. The public should bear in mind the following points during purchase and consumption of “Pun Choi” to enjoy it safely and without worries.

Upon ordering “Pun Choi”

• Patronize reliable shops in good hygiene condition;
• Since “Pun Choi” consists of a great variety of food ingredients and requires long preparation and storage time which may lead to higher food risk, it is best to inform the shop of the time to pick up “Pun Choi” (preferably 30 minutes to within one hour before consumption) to avoid its preparation too early in advance.

Upon picking up “Pun Choi”

• Check if it is kept at an appropriate temperature: hot food at above 60℃ and cold food at below 5℃;
• “Pun Choi” should be properly wrapped;
• Ask the shop the ways to handle “Pun Choi” and follow instructions it gives for proper storage and reheating;
• Reheat the “Pun Choi” as soon as possible once arrived home to prevent leaving it at room temperature for too long that enhances bacterial growth.

Before consumption of “Pun Choi”

• Thoroughly reheat “Pun Choi” until its core temperature reaches 75℃ or above;
• Pay attention to the size of “Pun Choi”. The larger the portion, the longer time it takes for its reheating Ensure that the food ingredients inside it are thoroughly reheated;
• Consume reheated “Pun Choi” promptly. Never leave it at room temperature for over 2 hours. Finish it in one go to avoid repeated reheating;
• If it has an objectionable smell or becomes spoiled, discard it since it is no longer suitable for consumption.

Things to note

• Wash hands often and observe personal hygiene;
• Pay attention to temperature and time control of “Pun Choi”;
• Use separate chopping boards and utensils for handling raw and cooked food.