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The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority advises consumers to be cautious when buying and handling food in summer. Food spoils more rapidly in high temperatures. Micro-organisms that can cause foodborne illnesses (so called “alimentary infections”) multiply very quickly in the heat and damp, and food is literary a breeding ground for them.

The CAFIA experts thus recommend following several basic principles, mainly in the period of high summer temperatures:

1. To buy only such amount of food that we can consume by the use-by date and for which we have enough room in the fridge. Food with expired use-by date must not be marketed and we should never eat it.

2. After shopping, to transport food home as quickly as possible and consume it immediately or store it as recommended on the packaging by the producer. Long journeys with shopping in a warm car do not suit food.

3. Never buy food that has not been stored under prescribed conditions already in the
shop – for example in cooling and freezing boxes, food with damaged packaging, food that does not appear to be fresh or even food affected by mould or rot.

4. To buy frozen food only frozen and in undamaged and undeformed packaging directly from the freezing box. For transport of such food, to use cooling bags and to put the food immediately in the freezer. If we defrost these foods at home, we do not refreeze them.

5. To pay attention to the sellers of non-packaged food – desserts and cakes, salads or delicatessen products. They are obligated to use serving equipment or gloves, a lot will tell the cleanness of the outlet, the shop window, and the seller. Even in these cases, there must be a use-by date stated on a visible place.

6. To be cautious mainly when buying so called “risk food” that spoils very rapidly: confectionery and delicatessen products, ice-creams, milk products, smoked-meat products and other meat products, chilled poultry and poultry products, fresh chilled fishes and fish products. In particular in these cases, to pay high attention to the use-by date and storage conditions.

7. Not to buy “bargain”, damaged or even mouldy or rotting fruit and vegetables. Dangerous products of moulds are not only on the surface, but in the whole fruit and they cannot be removed by cutting off. Apart from watermelons and chopped vegetable soup mixtures, fruit and vegetables must not be sold cut.

8. Even when consuming and processing food at home, to pay attention to the highest cleanness possible. Always to wash fruit and vegetables carefully.

9. If you are not satisfied with your goods, do not be afraid to defend yourself directly in the shop. Do not shop in stores where you have bad experience. If you do not succeed, contact the CAFIA.

The CAFIA monitors microbiological requirements for foodstuffs. Out of 5480 risk food samples taken by the inspectors last year, 917 samples did not comply with prescribed requirements; mostly they were confectionery products, delicatessen and meat products. There are still situations when Salmonella or Listeria occurs, which can cause serious illness. Caution is therefore in place.