Over the past 5 years, I feel like my OCD towards food contamination and harmful bacteria that can be found anywhere has heightened. Long before we had this food blog, we’ve had experiences of seeing bugs roam around the restaurant we were dining in, finding hair strands or unsightly things in our food, and learning vegetables weren’t washed well at this very popular restaurant. But, because we wanted to focus on enjoying dining out, we just had to brush those fear or phobia aside. However, I don’t think the saying “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” applies well here. 
I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about food poisoning. We even had a recent experience where a this 
popular cookie store sent us an old batch of their products. Ken and I got sick the following day when we consumed them completely. We didn’t want to talk about it since the representative already apologized (oh, she has resigned apparently when she sent us a response), but it did upset us that we haven’t heard from the management directly. We just needed an explanation, not any kind of compensation for the damages (which some might argue we should go after). Anyway, good thing Ken and our nanay are nurses so we got well soon enough without having to go to the hospital. Otherwise, they’re going to hear from us.
I’ve been really OC about food contamination, seriously. That’s why whenever I hear news about traces of melamine (an industrial chemical which can cause bladder or kidney stones) found in several milk products, candy products with formaldehyde content (carcinogenic or can cause cancer), and peanut butter or noodles with the bacteria salmonella (attacks the intestines), I get shivers down my spine. I even heard about bacterial contamination in an herbal cough remedy, a product you trust to keep you well (a known herbal cough remedy, I heard) can actually hurt you more. News like these just freaks me out. 
Imagine having to worry about illnesses that can be caused by harmful bacteria contamination in these herbal cough remedies; illnesses or health problems that may range from a simple upset stomach to something more concerning like gastrointestinal symptoms or even grievous dehydration. That’s why we’re very particular with the medicines or any product we buy. Most of the time, putting a premium on food products and medicines you use can be an advantage.
Going back to the issue of food contamination, this can be caused by several things like how the ingredients were grown (use of chemicals, fertilizers, etc), environmental factors, problems during food processing, storage, and preparation. At home, since this is where we can be assured that food is prepared well or ingredients are contained or kept in an ideal environment because we have full control over what happens around here. We’d like to share with you more about how we avoid food contamination here next time. Keep posted.
We’d like to hear your own views on food contamination. Do you have the same paranoia when dining out or when buying food products, medicines, or anything you put in your mouth?
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