According to the Catholic rite, believers cannot eat meat on Fridays of Lent, much less during Holy Week. Given this, the authorities continue to carry out operations throughout the country to prevent Colombians from eating spoiled fish.
On this occasion, the health and public order authorities of Neiva announced in recent hours the first results of the operations to control and monitor the distribution and sale of fish, which were carried out in renowned collection centers in the capital of Huila, with the aim of preventing the poisoning of approximately 200 citizens.
According to Mayor Miguel Ángel Galeano, Chief of Protection and Special Services of Neiva, together with the municipality's Ministry of Health, more than 165 kilos of fish have been seized, particularly dried fish, which is traditionally consumed during Holy Week.
Likewise, it was announced that those who distribute fish in poor condition and without complying with the minimum sanitary conditions, will be fined and will have to pay comparenda that would exceed one million pesos.
Finally, Mayor Galeano recommended that citizens buy fish in places that meet all sanitary and refrigeration standards, and to be attentive to general characteristics of the fish, texture and smell, in order to avoid acquiring the food in poor condition.
Recommendations for buying fresh fish
The Director of Promotion and Prevention of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Gerson Bermont, last Monday issued a series of recommendations so that people do not lose their money on decomposed fish or, in the worst case, eat it and acquire an ETA.
● Acquire fresh and healthy food according to your usual appearance, smell, texture and color.
● Avoid buying food on the street, mainly fish and seafood, as they do not guarantee minimum storage conditions.
● Fish and shellfish must be refrigerated immediately after capture and maintain the cold chain during transport, display and sale. For this reason, they should be the last products purchased and consumed in the shortest possible time or if they are not going to be consumed soon, refrigerated or frozen at home as soon as possible.
● Avoid buying foods that have frost or ice crystals on their surface, as they may have been stored for a long time or lost cold chain.
● Dried fish should have a uniform yellow color, without reddish or greenish spots or ammonia smell and packaged to avoid contamination.
● The inner meat and surface of the seafood should be moist, soft and slightly firm without black spots, no sticky feeling to the touch and its smell should be characteristic. The shrimp must keep its head and legs firm to the body, without black or grayish rings on the surface of the body.
● Fish products that have shells (such as lobster, crab, and shrimp) must be hard and flexible to the touch. The crab, crab and lobster pliers should return to their original position when stretched. The clams must have a full shell and tightly closed.
● Remember to check the expiration date of packaged foods, the health record and the integrity of the packaging.
● Canned goods must not have any slits, bulges, or rust. When opening the can, no foreign gases or odors should be released, nor should any stains be observed on the product or on the inside of the package.
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