Food Buying Tips

When buying food items in the wet market and supermarket, consumers should be aware that for some merchants, selling means disposing of all merchandise whether they are of good or bad quality. Consumers should always check every item they buy before paying. Keep the following in mind when shopping:

• When buying meat at the wet market, always watch the vendor as he handles the meat. Sometimes, pieces of fat are added to the meat being weighed when the consumer is not looking. Pieces of meat or fish that have fallen on the wet floor might be added to the purchase; spoiled fish or smaller pieces of fish are added to the selected bigger-sized fish being weighed.

• Watch the vendor's weighing scale. Wet market vendors are notorious for tampering with their scales.

• Make sure the vendor puts the exact number of items in the bag when buying items by the piece.

• When buying fruits, take a close look at the fruits being packed for you. It is common to unscrupulous vendors to include rotten fruits in the bag to be weighed.

• Avoid buying foods in cans that are rusty, dented or bloated. Foods in such packaging can be poisonous. Also, make sure that packs or bottles are sealed. Tampered or broken seals may meal spoiled food.

• When buying frozen goods like chicken or fish, do not get packages with fluids or frozen liquid inside. Chances are such food items have been in and out of the freezer so many times.

• Check for insects when buying foods in cartons or packages. Do not buy food in damaged or wet cartons.

• Study the buy one, take one offers of some supermarkets especially if these are meat and poultry products. Ask yourself. Why are supermarkets suddenly so generous? Are these meats and poultry still fresh?

• When buying baked products, check the expiry dates. Some of them may already have expired and are no longer fit for consumption.

• Check out the area where fresh meat, fish and poultry are. Are the staff handling the meat properly? Do they use tongs to put the meat in the bags? Are their hands clean? Are the storage areas clean and free of crawling and flying insects?

• If the vegetables being sold have already been packed, feel or look at each piece carefully. It is not unlikely that the staff put in rotten pieces along with the fresh ones. Do the same when buying fruits.

One should always be an alert consumer, particularly when buying food. There is now stiff competition among the different brands of food available in the market. Because of this, businessmen have become very aggressive in promoting their food products.

CAVEAT EMPTOR