Big bowl feast: Community Medicine Consultant Dr Ho Yuk-yin (left) says poon choi should be cooked thoroughly.

The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department has urged food manufacturers and the public to be mindful of food safety when preparing, ordering or consuming traditional local cuisine poon choi, or "big bowl feast".

The department's Community Medicine Consultant Dr Ho Yuk-yin said today that as poon choi needs considerable time to prepare, because of the great variety of food it contains, special attention should be paid to microbiological risk factors.

Poon choi includes pork, beef, lamb, chicken, duck, abalone, ginseng, shark's fin, fish maw, prawns, crab, dried mushrooms, fishballs, squid, dried eel, dried shrimp, pigskin, beancurd and Chinese radish.

All the ingredients should be cooked thoroughly and the centre temperature of the food should reach 75 degrees Celsius. It should be kept at 60 degrees Celsius or above after cooking.

Careful selection

When preparing poon choi, caterers should buy ingredients, especially cooked ones, from reputable suppliers. Cooked food should be handled carefully to prevent contamination.

Dr Ho said if foods, especially seafood and poultry, are not well cooked, pathogens that survive may cause food poisoning. He advised people to cook the food on the day of serving to minimise the chance of contamination.

"People should order poon choi from licensed premises. Reheat the poon choi at home and consume it in one go as soon as possible," he said.

The department has held eight seminars for the trade since November to help food suppliers better understand the proper procedures for poon choi production. Leaflets have also been produced to enhance awareness.