The doctor warned about the inability to determine the safety of products by their taste.

Many pathogens of food infections, including salmonella, pathogenic E. coli, listeria, campylobacteria, shigella, as well as noroviruses and hepatitis A virus, as a rule, do not change the organoleptic properties of products — taste, smell, color and appearance. This was stated on June 29 by Ekaterina Guzman, a food hygiene doctor and food safety auditor, in an interview with Gazeta.Ru».

"Many people believe that if a product looks normal, smells good, and hasn't changed its taste, it means it's safe. Unfortunately, this is not the case. If the food has changed color, acquired a sour or putrid odor, is covered with mucus, mold, or has become sticky, it is strictly forbidden to consume it. Such changes are most often associated with the activity of so-called spoilage microorganisms. These include some species of Pseudomonas, lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc), yeast, mold fungi, as well as individual representatives of the genera Proteus and Serratia. They are the ones that cause fermentation, souring, unpleasant odor, discoloration and consistency of the product," said Guzman.

According to the expert, spoilage microorganisms and pathogenic bacteria act in different ways. If the former make themselves felt through a change in texture, smell, or color, the latter, on the contrary, leave no external traces. The product may look absolutely fresh and at the same time contain a dangerous amount of infectious agents. This makes it impossible to determine food safety without laboratory control.

"That is why it is impossible to determine the safety of a product by eye. The absence of an unpleasant odor or other signs of spoilage does not mean that the food is safe. The only reliable protection remains compliance with sanitary requirements at all stages of production, storage, transportation and sale of products," the doctor emphasized.

Guzman recommends paying special attention to products that most often cause food poisoning — ready-made salads, meat and fish cooking, rolls, shawarma, confectionery with cream, as well as homemade and industrial sauces. These dishes require strict observance of the temperature regime and sanitary rules at all stages — from cooking to serving to the consumer. To prevent infections, the expert advises not to rely on the senses, but to control the shelf life, storage conditions and heat treatment of products.

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Dmitry Nosov, Associate Professor of the Department of Civil Law at the O.E. Kutafin University (MGUA), reminded on June 10 that Russian tourists can demand compensation for moral damage from a tour operator in case of food poisoning at the hotel. To do this, it is necessary to collect evidence confirming the causal relationship between poisoning and poor-quality food at the hotel.