- Ready meals and desserts: Smell and stickiness
- Raw meat: Check the color
- Raw or cooked fish: Smelling
- Raw egg: Put in water
- Fruits: Check for holes
- Vegetables and vegetables: Check the color and smell
- Cheese: Observe color and texture
- Dairy: Smelling
- How long the food lasts in the refrigerator
- What happens when eating spoiled food
- Warning signs to go to the doctor
- What to do if you buy spoiled food
To find out if a food is good for consumption, attention should be paid to color, consistency and smell, and these guidelines are for meat, fish and chicken, as well as fruits, vegetables and greens.
Some guidelines that can be useful to know if a certain food is spoiled and therefore unfit for consumption are:
| Food | How to know if it is good to consume |
| Leftover meals and desserts | Smell and sticky |
| Raw meats | Evaluate the color |
| Fish (raw or cooked) | Smell |
| Raw egg | Place in a glass of water |
| Fruit | Evaluate appearance |
| Vegetables and vegetables | Check the color and smell |
| Cheese | Observe color and texture |
| Milk and dairy products | Smell |
Ready meals and desserts: Smell and stickiness
The slimy appearance, color change and strong smell are indicative that the food or dessert is spoiled, which can happen even inside the refrigerator. This food or dessert must be thrown in the trash and its container must be washed with water, detergent and a little bleach or chlorine to be properly disinfected for later use.
Raw meat: Check the color
If the meat is a little gray, green or blue it is no longer good to eat. Pressing the meat a little with a finger also helps to identify the integrity of the food, because when it is slimy it should no longer be consumed, but when pressing the meat, it will return to normal right afterwards it is still good to eat. The meat must be kept frozen in the freezer or freezer.
Raw or cooked fish: Smelling
If the smell of raw fish is very intense, with a brown or yellowish color and the fish's eyes are not bright, the fish should not be eaten. Raw fish should be kept in the freezer or freezer and cooked fish can be kept in the refrigerator but consumed within a maximum of 3 days.
Raw egg: Put in water
Put the raw egg in a glass filled with water and if the egg stays on the bottom, it is good to eat, but if it floats, it is spoiled. The average duration of the eggs is up to 21 days after laying, which can be seen in your box. Eggs can be kept in the refrigerator or in a place protected from light and with good ventilation.
Fruits: Check for holes
When you have it, it is a sign that the fruit was bitten by insects and, therefore, it may be contaminated and it is not recommended to eat. To test it, you can cut the piece around and see if the rest has the normal color and smell, and if it is, that part can be used.
Vegetables and vegetables: Check the color and smell
When a part of the vegetable is spoiled, cook the part that is good, for example, in the case of the carrot that has a spoiled part, do not use the good part of the carrot for the salad, but in the stew or to make a soup, for example. In vegetables, check if the leaves are yellow, as it is a sign that you have lost chlorophyll and therefore no longer has all the nutrients. Prefer the green and firm leaves.
Cheese: Observe color and texture
Hard cheeses, even if they are moldy, can be eaten after removing the damaged part, but soft cheeses should not be eaten if they are dry, greenish or moldy. Open cheese stored in the refrigerator must be consumed within 5 days. Learn other details to identify whether the cheese can still be eaten.
Dairy: Smelling
Milk that is out of date must be thrown away, inside the toilet, for example. Milk opened in the refrigerator may be spoiled when it smells sour and should not be consumed, even if boiled. Milk usually lasts up to 3 days after opening.
How long the food lasts in the refrigerator
The following table indicates the ideal temperature to keep food in the refrigerator and its shelf life:
| Food | Ideal temperature | Storage time |
| Fruits and vegetables | Up to 10º C | 3 days |
| Cold cuts and dairy products |
-Up to 8ºC - Up to 6ºC - Up to 4ºC |
-1 day - 2 days - 3 days |
| All kinds of raw meat | Up to 4ºC | 3 days |
|
- Raw fish - Cooked fish |
- Up to 2ºC - Up to 4º C |
- 1 day - 3 days |
| Leftover cooked meals | Up to 4ºC | 3 days |
| Desserts |
- Up to 8ºC - Up to 6ºC - Up to 4ºC |
- 1 day - 2 days - 3 days |
See how to organize the refrigerator, the foods that don't need to be kept in the refrigerator and how to store the food so that it lasts longer.
What happens when eating spoiled food
Eating food that is unfit for consumption can cause food poisoning that manifests itself through symptoms such as:
- Belly pain; Intestinal colic; Gas and belching; Diarrhea.
These symptoms usually appear on the same day that the person ate the expired or spoiled food and the intensity of these symptoms may vary according to the amount that was eaten. The more you ingest, the worse the symptoms.
Although a food does not appear to be damaged, it can be contaminated and in this case it does not smell, change color, or texture different from the normal food. Thus, the egg, although apparently good for consumption, may be contaminated with Salmonella and cause intestinal infection, for example. Contaminated food is as harmful to health as it is spoiled, and can cause food poisoning that manifests itself through the same symptoms.
Food poisoning can last for 10 days during this period you should always drink fluids such as water, tea and natural fruit juice, and eat easily digestible foods such as cooked vegetables, grains and cereals. Milk, dairy products, meat and eggs should be avoided so that the digestive system recovers faster.
See 4 steps to treat food poisoning at home.
Warning signs to go to the doctor
If you have any of these signs and symptoms that may indicate food poisoning, you should seek an emergency room:
- Deep, sunken eyes; Extremely dry skin; Intense abdominal pain; Diarrhea with blood; Fever above 38ºC.
The doctor will observe the person and may order a blood test, for example. Medicines like charcoal can be useful to cure food poisoning faster, but antibiotics can also be indicated.
What to do if you buy spoiled food
If you bought food at the grocery store or at the market and you suspect it is damaged, you can claim it at the establishment where you bought it, together with the purchase receipt. This can be done when you identify the spoiled food on the very day it was purchased and are able to ensure that the food was taken home in proper hygienic conditions.
ANVISA, the National Health Security Agency, suggests that a complaint be made to the health surveillance service in your city, so it may be necessary to go to the city hall to find the address and telephone number of the right place to complain.
The establishment can only return the money or exchange for a similar product that is suitable for consumption because the purchase of a spoiled food does not guarantee the consumer compensation for moral damages, being necessary to hire a lawyer to analyze the situation and indicate the best strategy for each case.
