Doctors advise 'strange color, sour taste, slimy should be discarded'

Food poisoning after eating bread can come from many stages such as preparation, processing of ingredients and preservation. If you see the food color change, tastes sour or slimy, you should throw it away.

Many cases of poisoning after eating bread

Recently, on November 27, Vung Tau Hospital (Vung Tau City, Ba Ria - Vung Tau) announced that it had admitted nearly 150 people with abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. These patients had previously eaten bread and sticky rice at a local bakery.

Previously, in early May 2024, 328 people were suspected of being poisoned after eating bread in Dong Nai. These patients were hospitalized with vomiting, diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain... Doctors diagnosed the patients with intestinal infections and treated them.

Or in 2023, in Quang Nam province, 313 people were poisoned by eating Phuong bread.

The risk of bread poisoning comes from many causes.

Associate Professor - Doctor - Doctor Lam Vinh Nien, Head of the Department of Nutrition - Dietetics, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that the risk of food poisoning when eating bread can come from many causes. From the preparation of ingredients to preliminary processing, processing tools, hygiene conditions when processing, preserving food, food preservation temperature... In addition to bread, accompanying ingredients such as pork, shredded pork, butter, pate, ham, sauce, pickles, onions and cilantro all have the potential to cause food poisoning if food safety is not ensured.

"Hot and humid weather will easily create conditions for bacteria and microorganisms to grow, especially for products such as butter, pate, pickles... if not properly preserved. Common types of bacteria that can cause food poisoning in bread can be Salmonella, E.coli...", Dr. Nien shared.

According to Dr. Nien, toxins can be produced from bacteria in food or penetrate from outside sources such as human hands, containers, flies, etc. There are some cases where even though food is contaminated with toxins, there are still no unusual signs, however, there are situations where users ignore these unusual factors.

"By senses, if you notice that the color of food, such as bread, ham, pate... has a strange color, or tastes bitter, slimy, sour..., you should throw it away. Users should not feel sorry and eat more or tell themselves 'it's probably fine' and then eat it all. Because when there is an abnormality, it shows that the food has been contaminated, so it should be thrown away decisively," Dr. Nien advised.

Pay attention to the color and taste of the food. If there is anything unusual, stop eating immediately.

Symptoms of food poisoning are easily confused

Specialist Doctor Nguyen Huu Tri, Center for Endoscopy and Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgery, Tam Anh General Hospital, said that food poisoning can appear after a few hours or a few days of consuming contaminated food and often has non-specific symptoms, easily confused with other diseases such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, headache, muscle pain...

The severity of food poisoning symptoms depends on the causative agent such as the amount of toxins eaten, as well as the health of each person. If the poisoning is mild, the patient can recover within 48 hours. However, if the symptoms of poisoning persist, the patient should be taken to a medical facility for treatment to prevent the disease from progressing to serious conditions such as dehydration, sepsis, shock, etc.

Food poisoning is very dangerous if it manifests in the digestive tract and is accompanied by symptoms such as neurological disorders (especially blurred vision, double vision, difficulty speaking, muscle paralysis, convulsions, headache, dizziness), cardiovascular disorders, blood or mucus in the stool, little urine, pain in locations other than the abdomen (such as chest, neck, jaw, throat)...

According to Dr. Tri, the cause of food poisoning is pathogenic microorganisms in food such as bacteria, viruses, parasites (or their toxins), chemical toxins, and natural toxins in food.

"To prevent food poisoning, people need to pay attention to eating hygienically and using products with clear origins. In particular, when experiencing symptoms of digestive disorders lasting longer than 2-3 days, suspecting food poisoning, they need to quickly go to the nearest medical facility for timely treatment and to prevent dangerous complications that can affect life," Dr. Tri advised.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ngo-doc-banh-mi-bac-si-khuyen-mau-sac-la-co-vi-chua-nhot-thi-nen-bo-185241128100626144.htm