DEVELOPMENT REPORT - Ways to Keep Food Safe

DEVELOPMENT REPORT - Ways to Keep Food Safe
By Bob Bowen

Broadcast: Monday, September 20, 2004

This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Development Report.

People who grow their own food usually want to keep enough from their harvest for future use. But they also want to avoid the risk of food poisoning. So food safety experts offer some advice.

One suggestion is to carefully examine vegetables that grow underground before they are put away for later use. They should be clean, dry, and have no cuts. They should be kept in a cool, dry place.

Some people dig cellars¹ where they keep their potatoes and root vegetables. It is important that this underground room be kept dark. Light can cause potatoes to develop a poison called solanine.

Meats, fruits and vegetables can be dried and kept in cloth bags. The bags should be hung in a cool, dry place. Hanging the bags in the air will keep animals and insects on the ground from damaging the food.

Mold² is likely to grow on dried food that is kept where the air contains a lot of water. Milk will go bad if it is kept for a long time, especially if it is not kept cold. However, fresh milk should be safe to drink for a while if it is boiled. Put the boiled milk in a clean container and keep it in the coolest place you can find.

Fats and oils should be kept in a cool place in covered containers. The containers should keep out light. Light can harm the properties of oils and fats. The containers should be made of dark glass or fired clay. Containers made of iron or copper³ will ruin fats and oils. If possible, heat the oil or fat to remove any water which would cause mold to grow.

Fresh bread can be kept for later use if it is cooled quickly after it is baked. Then, it should be covered completely with clean paper or cloth. Fresh bread can be kept in a clean tin container. Be sure dust and insects cannot get to the bread.

In hot weather when there is high humidity⁴ in the air, the tin container should not be closed too tightly⁵. This could cause mold to grow on the bread. To help prevent mold, the bread container should be cleaned with hot water at least once a week and carefully dried.

Canned foods should be kept in a place that is clean, dry and cool. Organisms⁶ can grow if cans or jars are damaged and air gets inside. Never eat food from cans that are swollen⁷ or leaking. These are possible signs of botulism. The food could contain a rare but deadly bacteria.

This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Bob Bowen. This is Gwen Outen.

1 cellars   

n.地下室，地窖( cellar的名词复数 )；酒窖

参考例句：

• Some families stocked their cellars with food and water. 有些家庭在地窖里储备了食品和水。 来自辞典例句
• One day we went down to the cellars with Wilcox. 一天，我们和威尔科克斯一起下到地窖里。 来自辞典例句

2 mold   

n.模子，模型，铸模；vt.造型，浇涛

参考例句：

• Too often we try to mold our children into something they do not wish to be.我们常常试图把孩子塑造成他们自己不想成为的样子。
• Try to compact the sand into the mold.设法把这沙土堆积到模子里。

3 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

4 humidity   

n.湿度，潮湿，湿气

参考例句：

• The house is not comfortable tonight ,because of the high humidity.由于湿度高，今晚屋子里不舒服。
• It's difficult to work because of the humidity.由于空气潮湿，工作很困难。

5 tightly   

adv.紧紧地，坚固地，牢固地

参考例句：

• My child holds onto my hand tightly while we cross the street.横穿马路时，孩子紧拉着我的手不放。
• The crowd pressed together so tightly that we could hardly breathe.人群挤在一起，我们几乎喘不过气来。

6 organisms   

n.有机物( organism的名词复数 )；有机体；生物；有机体系

参考例句：

• The organisms can be divided into discrete categories. 有机体可分为许多互不相联的种类。
• The cell is the unit of which all living organisms are composed. 细胞是构成一切生物的单位。

7 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。