Health risk warning !

[worgeordie]

Every Friday I do my shopping at Makro on the Super Highway,today

on the list was some frozen fruit to make some jam,in the freezer all

the frozen fruit was unfrozen,the freezers must have gone off over

night,but what was even more shocking most of the fish,prepared

meals,squid,French fries,hamburgers etc,etc,had thawed out but

was still been offered for sale,I suppose it was just left there to

refreeze !

So I will be going to another Makro for my frozen goods now,I also

noticed this used to happen a lot at Carrefour,frozen pizzas soft as

s@%t, ,limp French fries,you would think this must be a health risk

for people, I am sure if this had occurred in the West, it would have

all been condemned and taken to the dump, but TIT.

regards Worgeordie

PS all the frozen meats ,pork,chicken,beef etc in the new cabinets was not effected ,and where OK

Edited June 21, 2013 by worgeordie

[Chiengmaijoe]

Will another Makro be any different? It happens everywhere, I'm sure.

[ataloss]

Thanks for the heads-up,WG.

I notice, too, that at many (all?) superstores they sell hamburger meat which is defrosted - many bins with the meat frozen in a ball below that already thawed. I buy a lot of hamburger meat as it is inexpensive and good in a lot of dishes especially spaghetti/pasta; and I buy bagged portions which I freeze for my dogs' consumption throughout the week. The same scenario plays out for chicken parts which were frozen before being sold.

Refreezing is supposedly a health risk. What is one to do apart from buying each day. Also there is no guarantee all the frozen meat and poultry (steaks, turkeys, etc) have not been frozen, thawed, and refrozen several times through inattention or improper transit even before it arrives at the superstores. Chagrin

Any advice.

[justben]

they don't know anything about these things, or other thing, therefore they probably dont think it's a problem. Only advice is buy fresh but probably not good enough advice.

[justben]

They also dont know that you need to wash your hands with soap after using the toilet. I sometimes see the people making food in any level of eatery not washing their hands. The food must have fecal matter in it.

Any advice?

[worgeordie]

Thanks for the heads-up,WG.

I notice, too, that at many (all?) superstores they sell hamburger meat which is defrosted - many bins with the meat frozen in a ball below that already thawed. I buy a lot of hamburger meat as it is inexpensive and good in a lot of dishes especially spaghetti/pasta; and I buy bagged portions which I freeze for my dogs' consumption throughout the week. The same scenario plays out for chicken parts which were frozen before being sold.

Refreezing is supposedly a health risk. What is one to do apart from buying each day. Also there is no guarantee all the frozen meat and poultry (steaks, turkeys, etc) have not been frozen, thawed, and refrozen several times through inattention or improper transit even before it arrives at the superstores. Chagrin

Any advice.

Hi Ataloss, I buy my chicken breasts and fillet,some fish,minced pork,sliced pork in 1 or 2 kg frozen blocks at Makro,I think as its packed in the

processing factory it has less chance of getting contaminated with anything, and all I do is chop off what I need for a meal and put the block straight back in the freezer,buying this way also saves money.

I would never by anything in wet markets now,after I seen a truck load of chilled chicken,that had traveled from the South,with some ice thrown over it and covered with a sheet,been unloaded at Worot market,the smell could put you off meat forever,

regards Worgeordie

[cloudhopper]

Any advice?

Make sure your hepatitis A vaccine is current and don't go there again. Eating anything you didn't grow and prepare yourself always has been and always will be a bit risky just about anywhere in the world.

[justben]

I have to eat out. The problem is they dont use soap to wash their hands, period. Not just some people. I think they don't believe in bacteria.

Ghosts yes

Bacteria no!

[worgeordie]

They also dont know that you need to wash your hands with soap after using the toilet. I sometimes see the people making food in any level of eatery not washing their hands. The food must have fecal matter in it.

Any advice?

I am not sure they have any food inspectors here,you just have to think of what happens in your home country where regulations are much stricter,I am fed up telling the wife to put any left over food in the fridge,that been said in all my years here I have only had food poisoning once,

in the first couple of weeks after I arrived,hotel off Sumhumvit road,fried rice with seafood,I knew I should not have eaten it when it was put on the table. ,just make sure the food is hot and has not just been left out in the sun,or simmering for days.

regards Worgeordie

[worgeordie]

I have to eat out. The problem is they dont use soap to wash their hands, period. Not just some people. I think they don't believe in bacteria.

Ghosts yes

Bacteria no!

Thats because they cannot see it, most people in Thailand have seen Ghosts, but Bacteria,try and explain that to the ordinary folk.

regards Worgeordie

[Mapguy]

Problems may arise anywhere along the distribution path from source to table. In any country. The question should be once products are known to have thawed, as in OP's Makro example, are they disposed of safely? I hope OP spoke with the manager --- and if very vigilant, called Public Health. There is a large office in Chiang Mai on Suthep Road.

[CMKiwi]

And yet...... years ago when I was based in Singapore. My 1st wife got food poisioning from McDonalds! We regularly use to eat down at the 'Strip' where, while youre waiting for your chinese or Indian food, we would feed the local rats. I kid you not, and yet I never heard of anyone getting poisioned there. Just good fresh produce that was cooked and served hot.... or maybe we just had cast iron stomachs.

I agree re the re-freezing of food, definitely not a good practise. And I also agree that it is hard to educate some people about the importance of putting food in the fridge (cooked or otherwise) sitting on a bench over night or during the day is just so risky.

Touch wood, no deli belly so far; and Ive been here a year already

Edited June 21, 2013 by CMKiwi

[market trader]

Its all a matter of education. People do what they are taught to do. How many restaurants do you think use hot water to wash the dishes. How many Thai type restaurants actually have a refrigerator to store meat in. I remember years ago when my wife first came to Canada she thought it was crazy that supermarkets kept eggs in refrigerated section. You would never find a supermarket in the U.S. or Canada that left meat products out on a counter for you to pick and choose what you wanted..

Edited June 21, 2013 by market trader

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

This was the case at Tops KSK for years.

They had old freezers that would frequently breakdown and often the products would be refrozen.

Fortunately a year or so ago they upgraded the freezers.

Buyer beware in Thailand.

I even caught my favorite seller of coffee shorting(60 grams) me on 1/2 kilo of grinds. I really doubt it's the company or owner's fault.. Probably just an employee trying to divert some extra earnings.

It's just a sad commentary if I plan to head to the free scales at nearby Tanin market to verify I got a full bag each time.

And then if it is short again then how many grams short should it be before I complain to them? What a hassle I even need to worry about something like that.

[hellodolly]

I think some of the reason Thais are so careless about food handling is they have been doing it this way for hundreds of years and there bodies do not react as negatively as we from the western countries.

[Mapguy]

It is true that people do built up certain natural resistance over time, but food poisoning is food poisoning. The phrase "deli belly" is a fun new one for me. There is Montezuma's Revenge in Mexico, etc. What would be the equivalent here: "Street s**ts?" There has to be something less crude and more evocative of the local scene.

[Rice60640]

I've noticed at the grocery stores that the eggs aren't refrigerated so I'm kind of chicken when it comes to eating them.

Refrigerating eggs is a western practice. In Asia, most people don't refrigerate their eggs. I guess we also don't buy 12 eggs in a carton at a time when I was younger. We get what we need and use them so there's no need to refrigerate? My family in Malaysia still don't refrigerate their eggs today.

[market trader]

It is true that people do built up certain natural resistance over time, but food poisoning is food poisoning. The phrase "deli belly" is a fun new one for me. There is Montezuma's Revenge in Mexico, etc. What would be the equivalent here: "Street s**ts?" There has to be something less crude and more evocative of the local scene.

there is something less crude in Thailand. They call it Bangkok belly.

[butterisbetter]

I've noticed at the grocery stores that the eggs aren't refrigerated so I'm kind of chicken when it comes to eating them.

Refrigerating eggs is a western practice. In Asia, most people don't refrigerate their eggs. I guess we also don't buy 12 eggs in a carton at a time when I was younger. We get what we need and use them so there's no need to refrigerate? My family in Malaysia still don't refrigerate their eggs today.

At 21 degrees centigrade eggs age about 7 times faster than they would in the refrigerator. At the temperatures prevalent here, and even more so in Malaysia, it's probably more like 20 times as fast. I can tell when an egg is old because the yolk is flat and the white is very runny. Generally not good for baking. But that's not much of a consideration for people in this part of the world.

[pitchag]

There is a way to check put the egg in a bowl of cold water,if the egg sinks to the bottom on its side it is fresh, if it stands on its end it is reasonably fresh if it floats discard as it is quite old.

There is a small air pocket in an egg small when fresh and gets bigger the older the egg gets hence it will float.

I hope this helps you guys out

[MrBrad]

It is true that people do built up certain natural resistance over time, but food poisoning is food poisoning. The phrase "deli belly" is a fun new one for me. There is Montezuma's Revenge in Mexico, etc. What would be the equivalent here: "Street s**ts?" There has to be something less crude and more evocative of the local scene.

there is something less crude in Thailand. They call it Bangkok belly.

The "deli belly" referred to comes from India, and the city of Delhi in particular, so the spelling more accurately should be "Delhi belly." http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=delhi%20belly

"Bangkok belly" sounds good, and there must be a lot of befitting terms associated with other cities or places in Thailand. The "Chiang Mai ....." doesn't seem to work, but Pattaya, Hat Yai, Krabi, and Khorat are possibilities. Phichit and Trat are too easy. Whadaya say?

[jaideeguy]

I refuse to shop at the old Makro on the super hiway, as it's obvious that they are run down......... the smells of the store assault you upon entering and get stronger as you get close to the meat section. The newer Makro on the Hang Dong road is a lot cleaner and fresh smelling as well as having more inventory.

[CMKiwi]

Yep, heard about the egg testing and it works too. My father told me about that one on the farm as we were growing up except he told me to throw and egg into the river (nearby). Then he asked me if it sank or floated. When I replied it sank then he said you'd better dive in after it cause its a good one....it was bloody winter too! After I climbed out I asked what if it had floated, and he said let it float downstream as its bad.

On the Dehli belly topic.... what about Thai Tummy or the Thai Terrors?

[circusman]

ANYTHING cooked well is SAFE to eat. Bacteria can't survive the heat.

[cloudhopper]

ANYTHING cooked well is SAFE to eat. Bacteria can't survive the heat.

Unfortunate advice because while bacteria may not survive cooking the toxins they manufactured while alive frequently can.

[Rice60640]

There is a way to check put the egg in a bowl of cold water,if the egg sinks to the bottom on its side it is fresh, if it stands on its end it is reasonably fresh if it floats discard as it is quite old.

There is a small air pocket in an egg small when fresh and gets bigger the older the egg gets hence it will float.

I hope this helps you guys out

I think this test has to do with the air pocket in the egg. Notice how hard boiled eggs often have a dimple on one side and is not the same roundness as the shell? The dimple is the air pocket. Fresh eggs has a nice big air pocket between the membrane and the shell -- this air pocket dissipate over time and so the egg becomes old and not as fresh. So, the side that floats to the top in the bowl of water is where the air pocket it.

[masuk]

It is true that people do built up certain natural resistance over time, but food poisoning is food poisoning. The phrase "deli belly" is a fun new one for me. There is Montezuma's Revenge in Mexico, etc. What would be the equivalent here: "Street s**ts?" There has to be something less crude and more evocative of the local scene.

there is something less crude in Thailand. They call it Bangkok belly.

The "deli belly" referred to comes from India, and the city of Delhi in particular, so the spelling more accurately should be "Delhi belly." http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=delhi%20belly

"Bangkok belly" sounds good, and there must be a lot of befitting terms associated with other cities or places in Thailand. The "Chiang Mai ....." doesn't seem to work, but Pattaya, Hat Yai, Krabi, and Khorat are possibilities. Phichit and Trat are too easy. Whadaya say?

"BALI BELLY" is a common name for the 'trots" in Australia. Some years ago, tourists were very lucky to get back to Oz without experiencing this souvenir of Bali; nowadays they are much stricter, and all ice is supposed to be made from boiled water, as they commonly believed that freezing the bugs killed them.

Washing hands with soap and water before eating seems to not be taught at schools or by parents, and I often have to point people towards the hand basin to clean up, before they start shovelling food with their fingers .

[hellodolly]

It is true that people do built up certain natural resistance over time, but food poisoning is food poisoning. The phrase "deli belly" is a fun new one for me. There is Montezuma's Revenge in Mexico, etc. What would be the equivalent here: "Street s**ts?" There has to be something less crude and more evocative of the local scene.

there is something less crude in Thailand. They call it Bangkok belly.

The "deli belly" referred to comes from India, and the city of Delhi in particular, so the spelling more accurately should be "Delhi belly." http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=delhi%20belly

"Bangkok belly" sounds good, and there must be a lot of befitting terms associated with other cities or places in Thailand. The "Chiang Mai ....." doesn't seem to work, but Pattaya, Hat Yai, Krabi, and Khorat are possibilities. Phichit and Trat are too easy. Whadaya say?

"BALI BELLY" is a common name for the 'trots" in Australia. Some years ago, tourists were very lucky to get back to Oz without experiencing this souvenir of Bali; nowadays they are much stricter, and all ice is supposed to be made from boiled water, as they commonly believed that freezing the bugs killed them.

Washing hands with soap and water before eating seems to not be taught at schools or by parents, and I often have to point people towards the hand basin to clean up, before they start shovelling food with their fingers .

Where I came from in the states they had beaver fever.

[MESmith]

there is something less crude in Thailand. They call it Bangkok belly.

The "deli belly" referred to comes from India, and the city of Delhi in particular, so the spelling more accurately should be "Delhi belly." http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=delhi%20belly

"Bangkok belly" sounds good, and there must be a lot of befitting terms associated with other cities or places in Thailand. The "Chiang Mai ....." doesn't seem to work, but Pattaya, Hat Yai, Krabi, and Khorat are possibilities. Phichit and Trat are too easy. Whadaya say?

"BALI BELLY" is a common name for the 'trots" in Australia. Some years ago, tourists were very lucky to get back to Oz without experiencing this souvenir of Bali; nowadays they are much stricter, and all ice is supposed to be made from boiled water, as they commonly believed that freezing the bugs killed them.

Washing hands with soap and water before eating seems to not be taught at schools or by parents, and I often have to point people towards the hand basin to clean up, before they start shovelling food with their fingers .

Where I came from in the states they had beaver fever.

That sounds like an STD

[PoodMaiDai]

They also dont know that you need to wash your hands with soap after using the toilet. I sometimes see the people making food in any level of eatery not washing their hands. The food must have fecal matter in it.

Any advice?

Don't forget coughing into their hands, exchanging money, then handling your food without cleaning their hands.

Personal hygiene in developing nations is pretty bad. Part of the reason you get food poison is due to fecal matter that is on the food.

I used to get sick here all the time until I cut out street food and a lot of the cheaper Thai restaurants. Now, no problems at all.