Ham: damaged packaging poses a health risk; understand – 05/29/2023 – Market

The conservation and incorrect handling of cold cuts such as ham can cause health risks and the consumer must be aware of the conditions of the product’s packaging in supermarkets and bakeries.

In general, the cold cuts are fractioned by commercial establishments, either at the counters, slicing on the spot, or in trays sold ready-made or packaged by the food industry itself.

Incorrect handling of these products during cutting, portioning and packaging can lead to contamination or expose the food to an environment that promotes the growth of bacteria.

According to Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency), incorrect handling practices for cold cuts can lead to food contamination and cause diseases such as botulism.

Storage temperature is one of the factors that affect the quality and conservation of cold cuts, according to Pedro Alves de Souza, professor in the food engineering course at the Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences at Unesp (São Paulo State University).

“After these products are on the market or refrigerated counters, it depends a lot on the temperature to which they are exposed, because if it is not the temperature indicated for conservation, even with an expiry date, these products will not be valid”, he says.

Lilian de Cássia Santos, professor of food engineering at the Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia, explains that the manufacture of cold cuts goes through a thermal process in which the main pathogenic bacteria are eliminated.

“However, we still have the presence of some deteriorating bacteria and, to avoid their multiplication, this type of product is preserved under refrigeration at a temperature range of 0º to 5º degrees. It is a refrigerated environment, with high sterilization. more sensitive, anything can cause problems”, says the teacher.

The step in which the cold cuts are packaged is similar to vacuum sealing. This guarantees the product a high degree of hygiene, protection against contamination and degradation in logistics.

Cold cuts have a shelf life of 100 to 180 days in dry and refrigerated environments, with a shelf life of three days for consumption after being opened.

Anvisa points out that the shelf life applied to food considers the original packaging and the storage conditions determined by the manufacturer, and may change if the product is removed from it.

Assunta Napolitano Camilo, director of the Packaging Institute, points out that, even with a controlled climate, cold cuts can still be contaminated by fractionation for resale.

How do you know if the ham or cheese package has been tampered with?

There are cases where the packaging can be violated at the point of sale, which can cause contamination of the item and it is difficult to detect any failure.

“These trays [fracionadas] they are generally precarious and remain open when they are covered with plastic film. As it is not sealed —because to seal it you have to weld the plastic— it is very difficult to visually detect a problem [na embalagem]”, says Assunta.

She says that, when buying cold cuts, it is important to observe three points on the packaging before purchase:

• the expiry date
• If packages are refrigerated
• The general condition of the packaging, whether there is any damage that generates a risk of contamination

Lilian states that, whenever possible, it is preferable to keep cold cuts inside the original packaging or in sealed containers to avoid exposure to the air after opening.

According to Anvisa, the establishment can carry out the repackaging of cold cuts, as long as it follows the Technical Regulation of Good Practices for Food Services established in RDC nº 216/2004 and it is not allowed to change the expiry date of the products beyond that determined by the manufacturer .