Thy summer food is not eternal

“Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And Summer's lease hath all too short a date” William Shakespeare.

Summer blisters with all the amusing activities on the sea, the mountain views, the delicious barbeques, the night camping, and the porch’s reckless meetings….These cheerful moments fleet away quickly. And just like summer’s beauty described by Shakespeare as having a short “lease” date , so does the food during summer. Summer heat affects majorly the food we eat.( esp. in Lebanon where electricity goes out )
 It causes bacteria to grow at a faster rate making food rotten and spoiled. Apart from the high temperatures, another reason behind this is simply not handling the food properly and hygienically. Consequently, the risk of developing diseases from food poisonings increases and our health becomes jeopardized. ( Read more about Food Poisoning ) 

Vigilance is the key when purchasing and preserving food, as well when we are eating out in restaurants.  

Sushi Safety In Beirut

( Guest post by Food Scientist Rawan Hammoud) 

One of the sushi samples taken for testing

Sushi Popularity in Lebanon:

Sushi as a food product has grown and evolved to create an entire industry of Sushi bars which has found its way to the Lebanese market. Sushi was first introduced in Lebanon upon the opening of “Le Sushi Bar” in 1997. A decade ago there were only two Sushi bars in Lebanon, but now this number has had a fifteen fold increase amounting to about 35 Sushi restaurants in Beirut.  The manager of “Le Sushi Bar” considered the consumption of raw fish not unusual in Lebanon. He maintained that in some areas the consumption of raw meat is normal like in the Lebanese staple “Kebbeh Nayye”.

Do you trust your water bottle?

Water has no taste, no color, no odor; it cannot be defined, art relished while ever mysterious. Not necessary to life, but rather life itself. It fills us with a gratification that exceeds the delight of the senses.”Antoine De Saint-Exupery. 

We take water for granted regarding it as something that is always available, clean and cheap.
 No one can deny that water has become a priceless resource controlling the politics of the world. In some countries, a gallon of water is more expensive than a gallon of oil, leading to water being called the blue gold.

 Lebanon has always been regarded as a country bountiful of water but it is no longer considered as such. Lebanon is facing a major water crisis since water consumption is growing at a steady state due to the growth of population and rapid urbanization. And despite all the rain that fell heavily this winter, drought is still threatening the Lebanese summer since there is no clear governmental plan to use the water efficiently.

A daily star report (Water Crisis Looms in Lebanon) states that : "The problems facing Lebanon are numerous: Illegal wells are introducing sea water into an aquifer and reducing the water table, while industrial waste is polluting the Litani River and turned the Beirut River blood red last month. The nation has few dams and reservoirs to retain the heavy rainfall in the winter months and water officials say consumption is almost entirely unregulated.”

“Tahkik” TV program on MTV documented about “Water Treasure in Lebanon”. The presenter Claude Hindi shed the light on the looming water pollution crisis as well as tackled the issue of bottled water safety.  The report states that 35% of drinking water is sold by companies without any license. And 60% of Lebanese people buy it, especially in poor areas like Beirut suburbs. Astonishing, any person with 4,000 $ can open a place to sell you water and there is actually no proper inspection on them. “Tahkik” went to a place claiming they test and treat their water; they took the samples and microbiologically tested them. Four out of six were polluted and shouldn’t be drank.

Safe drinking water is surely not 100% sterile as it can contain negligible amounts of contaminants without posing any health risk. Contaminants can be microbiological or chemical such pesticides and minerals, but if exceeded high levels can cause illnesses. Tap water may be disinfected with effective, continuous and inexpensive techniques such as chlorine, chloramine, ozone, or ultraviolet light.  As for bottled water, it is disinfected using a more expensive technique of ozone.

Drinking water became merely a business and the report defined four types of this business:

1. Underground resource from artesian wells: need a budget of 20,000 to 100,000 as they apply high standards of treating, purifying and packaging the water by using sophisticated multi-equipped system. However, they constitute 20% from the market.
    
2. Other Companies: constitutes 40% of the Lebanese market and need merely 3000$. They usually purify water through using one equipment only.
3. Water tanks from tap water: located mostly in suburb areas and beside any supermarket, sells the gallon for 750 L.L.
    
4. Water Tanks sold in trucks without any hygienic considerations and sell people one gallon for 500LL. 

The report states clearly that there is a newly implemented law that forces most water selling businesses to purify and treat water properly according to certain standards. They also need an industrial investment and a “republic” approval.  Ironically, the special trucks equipped to transport the water and made completely from stainless steel to maintain quality still under pending approval while other unequipped trucks are roaming the streets.

This negligence has to stop. Our government has to start acknowledging that the real threat to our national security is the one affecting our health whether from the water we drink, the food we eat, the air we breathe or even the traffic jam we get stuck in.  


More info on different types of water treatments
MTV ‘s “Tahkik” Report 

The Shelf Life Jargon: What are all these numbers on my food?

You open your fridge and you find a milk bottle. It’s April 28  and the expiry date is April 26. You open it to check it. It appears good with no signs of mold and no “vinegar” smell. But is this the proper way of checking its safety? Read the date again. Did the milk actually get spoiled? Or is the date merely a safety margin? How will you know that the milk really got spoiled?


Food safety experts explain all the time about shelf-life of food, proper storage, and what expiration dates, and lot codes means to you.
 “Shelf Life” is the time it remains safe for consumption before it gets spoiled. Spoilage is affected by countless reasons, mainly air, light, sun, bacteria, heat, humidity, storage temperature, and packaging material.

What are those stamped codes ?

• Lot Code:  Manufacturing products come in batches, where each batch has a unique series f numbers that allow the manufacturer to tract any problem or defect that occur later and thus allowing them to be recalled from the market.

• Expiration Dates: These are the dates that should concern the consumer and serve him as a guideline to know when the product is either no longer safe to eat or might not taste as good as it did when originally produced.



The expiration dates are of three types:
• "Sell by" is for the stores to know how long it can display a product for people to buy.

• The "best before" or "best if used by" date indicates the time that a certain quality or flavor of food starts to deteriorate. But the food still remains safe to consume even after this time.

• "Use by" works is like the expiration date of medicines. Thus, consuming the food after this date is not recommended, as they may lose nutrients, potentially harmful bacteria might develop and the quality gets impaired.

  

Quick Tips for storing food

1. It is recommended to check for dents, tears or broken seals in the product. Don’t buy it if you found these defects because even if the date is still safe, the packaging is supposed to be designed in a way to maintain the food. For example, can’s bulging is an indication of bacterial growth.
2. Keep your cans away from humidity, air or light. Keep them in a stored closet. 
3. Foods with short shelf life don’t need numbers. It is advised when purchasing perishable food, such as meat, poultry, dairy products, and some fruits and vegetables, to bring them home quickly and refrigerate. But if you don’t want to cook the meat, poultry or sea food, store them in the freezer within two days of buying it to avoid their spoilage. Despite the fact that freezing ensures that food remains safe, it can affect its taste after defrosting.
4. Meat and poultry can last 6 months in the freezer, but the taste will be compromised. 
   ( For the shelf life of other food, check this Ultimate Shelf life guide: Keep it or toss it? from sill tasty website) 
5. Your refrigerator should register at 40° F (4° C) or below and the freezer unit at 0° F (-18° C). 
6. Hot food won't harm your refrigerator, so it's okay to place hot food inside. Be sure to divide large amounts of leftovers into shallow containers for quicker cooling in the refrigerator.
   Marinate foods in the refrigerator - not at room temperature.
7. Don't pack the refrigerator too full with food. Cold air must circulate to keep food safe. More on food storage guidelines here From what's cooking America?

How should you put your food in the fridge to keep them lasting longer!

8 . Herbs and Spices?

        Whole Spices and Herbs

• Leaves and flowers — 1 year
• Seeds and barks — over 2 years
• Roots — over 2 years

         Ground Spices and Herbs

• Leaves — 6 months
• Seeds and barks — 6 months
• Roots — 1 year

 8. What about sauces, condiments and pastes? ALways follow the expiration date. Sauces such mayonaise, and ketchup can get spoiled fast as they contain a considerable amount of water that makes it hub spot for bacterial growth.  Check the below graph and click on it to enlarge

In the end, it’s your own mindfulness and knowledge that will make your food safe to eat. Don’t rely on governmental regulations, whether in Lebanon or USA, as they are usually diminutive regarding these expiration dates.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy reading:

• Summer Food is Not Eternal
• Lebanese Myths about Food Poisoning Busted
• Rotten Meat and Rotten Laws

Rotten Meat and Rotten Laws!

Police Arresting 3 for rotten meat? ( Read more from Daily Star)
 Stunning news?
 Not really! In a country where chaos is the norm, I wasn’t surprised when I heard the news of spoiled meat. Not surprised, but sad. Why this negligence? Why this ignorance? And mostly why this lack of truthfulness?
Selling food after their expiry date is becoming almost a legal thing to do.
Although we do have a consumer protection that belongs to the ministry of economy and who is responsible in inspecting food suppliers, supermarkets and restaurants, it is still lagging behind. The inspectors are either not enough, or not doing their jobs properly, or ( I am not implying this on all of them), they are being bribed to hide the truth.


The head of Consumers Lebanon said to Zawya:"That these recent seizures of spoiled food by the Consumer Protection Office are merely a media stunt that only scratches the surface of the problems of food safety in the country!"

But the director-general of the Economy Ministry, Fouad Flaifel, denied that the recent confiscations were a media stunt, and said they were part of the daily work of the office.

I walked around Beirut in the weekend to check whether this news affected the public. It seems it didn’t. All restaurants were packed with cravers for food, Hamra was full, Downtown and Zaitona Bay.
( I also started a question on my facebook page : Pearl's Powder)
Trusting the place where we eat is very crucial. I personally prefer to eat my own food even if a restaurant has a good reputation.

Lists of these places have been circulated around the net, LBC group even posted them. Monetary fines were implemented on the owners but sadly, some were reduced as if the citizen’s health and life is not taken into consideration!  It seems we, humans are becoming a cheap item nowadays and no one cares if we get poisoned or died the next day.

Unless there is a death case, juridical system in Lebanon states that the courts usually do not sentence anyone to prison. And actually there was a death issue happened in summer(check previous post), and no one was blamed. There is always some kind of bribery or a political “help” that will save the restaurant or food supplier.

The food and beverage industry is a great source of income for the Lebanese and is a great attraction for tourism. Can Lebanon afford an economic loss because of this damaging reputation? Can’t laws merely be amended properly?
Why do politicians have to protect one illegitimate person on the sake of the whole population? 
It is the time for the Lebanese to stop pretending that nothing will happen to them when they eat spoiled food. Indeed, it is the time for them to become aware and demand clean food for the sake of their health and their economy before it is too late.

See also: My letter to the Lebanese Syndicate of Restaurants

Processed Vs Natural Foods as seen in our Stomach

Processed food definitely differs to natural food , whether in their caloric value, preservative content, nutritional benefits and other health differences.
This is constantly proved by  bright food  scientists, nutritionists, medical doctors  researching on this subject. But what how can a filmmaker prove these differences? And  To  what extend does this food differ when we swallow, till we digest , up till we absorb the distinct ingredients in it?

This is what Stefani Bardin  is  trying to find out through a project called: "M2A™: The Fantastic Voyage"
Stefani Bardin*  is currently producing a body of work that explores the influences of corporate culture and industrial food production on our food system. These investigations take the form of single and multi-channel videos, immersive and interactive installations and video games.

Here is about M2A™:

Lebanese Myths about Food Poisoning Busted

After i watched this sad news on TV about the latest victim of food poisoning: a young man  on his day of  graduation , i thought of listing some of the Lebanese Myths or sayings about food , eating out poisoning cases.

A.    I got hit by the  " wind"  ( akhadet saf2et hawa)

You had dinner in a restaurant with your friends and spent the night back at home with nausea, followed by fever, vomiting and oh well, diarrhea.

You blame the AC in the restaurant or in the car or the air coming from the window in your room.