自助餐存在諸多食品安全隱患。比如，食品種類繁多以及顧客自助取餐的就餐方式可能會導致食物之間的交叉污染；食品存放的時間及溫度不合規，加速微生物和細菌繁殖。管理規范的餐廳可以通過嚴格的操作流程來保證食品安全，與此同時食客也需負起一部分責任，在取餐時講究衛生。本文淺談自助餐的安全隱患以及如何更好地維護食品安全，保護自己的健康。
詞匯：food safety 食品安全
1 The dizzying variety of options, the amazing range of flavours, and for some of us, the sheer quantity that you can eat. It’s easy to see the appeal of a buffet. It takes the stress out of choosing what to eat – just have it all! But are there risks that we need to think about? Food hygiene specialists suggest there might be.
2 Restaurant and hotel buffets can be a food poisoning risk. The large number of different dishes and people serving themselves creates opportunities for cross-contamination. Microbes can be transferred from people to dishes, from dishes to people and from one dish to another. Even the air can transfer microbes to your food. It’s easy to see how an entire buffet could end up contaminated. Food temperature creates another risk factor. It’s easy for food to be kept lukewarm and in the danger zone between 8C and 63C where bacteria and other microbes grow and multiply easily.
3 Restaurants that manage buffets well can reduce the risks. Hot food should be replaced after two hours and cold food after four. It’s important that the old food is disposed of and that containers are not just topped up, allowing the older food to contaminate fresh items. Hot food should be kept above 63C, and cold food should be refrigerated.
4 However, any attempts by hospitality businesses to reduce risks can easily be undone by careless clients. There are many ways that diners can unwittingly or thoughtlessly increase the risks. Tongs and ladles can be contaminated by those who do not wash their hands, or who reuse their plates when getting a second helping. Food on display can be contaminated by people using the wrong utensil or who accidentally drop the handles into bowls of food. That’s before even mentioning those who cough or sneeze near the buffet.
5 So, to enjoy a buffet, while keeping the risks as low as possible, you should check to see that it is well-managed by the restaurant or hotel, that others are following good hygiene rules and that you do the same. Even so, a buffet is likely to be more risky than other types of restaurants.
測驗與練習
一、將標題和段落配對。
Paragraph 1 ________
Paragraph 2 ________
Paragraph 3 ________
Paragraph 4 ________
Paragraph 5 ________
a. What to look for
b. Food safety risks
c. Dangerous foods
d. Risky behaviour
e. No need to choose
f. What restaurants can do
二、根據文章內容選出正確的選項。
1. Food safety experts consider buffets safe.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given
2. Larger and busier buffets are riskier.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given
3. At what temperature does cold food begin to be unsafe?
a. 20C
b. 8C
c. 63C
4. Diners can transfer microbes to serving utensils.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given
5. What does ‘those’ refer to in the following sentence? That’s before even mentioning those who cough or sneeze near the buffet.
a. utensils
b. food
c. clients
三、用下列單詞完成對本文的總結。
Buffets can be a source of bad food 1) _______. Having so many dishes close together makes 2) _______ likely. Food is often left at 3) _______ temperatures allowing bacteria to grow easily. Risk can be reduced by a well-managed buffet where surplus food is 4) _______ before it gets dangerous. It is almost important that diners use 5) _______ correctly.
microbes
utensils
lukewarm
hygiene
disposed of
topped up
cross-contamination
（答案見詞匯表後）
詞匯表
dizzying 令人眼花繚亂的
sheer quantity 分量之大
hygiene 衛生
food poisoning 食物中毒
cross-contamination 交叉污染
microbe 微生物
lukewarm 溫的，微熱的
bacterium 細菌
multiply 繁殖，大幅增加
be disposed of 被處理掉，被丟棄
top up 添加，補滿
undo 消除，抵消
unwittingly 無意地，不知情地
thoughtlessly 不經意地，粗心地
tongs 夾子
ladle 長柄勺
second helping 再次取餐
utensil （廚房的）器具，用具
答案
一、將標題和段落配對。
Paragraph 1 e) No need to choose
Paragraph 2 b) Food safety risks
Paragraph 3 f) What restaurants can do
Paragraph 4 d) Risky behaviour
Paragraph 5 a) What to look for
二、根據文章內容選出正確的選項。
1. b. False. But are there risks that we need to think about? Food hygiene specialists suggest there might be.
2. a. True. The large number of different dishes and people serving themselves creates opportunities for cross-contamination.
3. b. It’s easy for food to be kept lukewarm and in the danger zone between 8C and 63C where bacteria and other microbes grow and multiply easily.
4. a. True. Tongs and ladles can be contaminated by those who do not wash their hands, or who reuse their plates when getting a second helping.
5. c. Food on display can be contaminated by people using the wrong utensil or who accidentally drop the handles into bowls of food. That’s before even mentioning those who cough or sneeze near the buffet.
三、用下列單詞完成對本文的總結。
Buffets can be a source of bad food hygiene. Having so many dishes close together makes cross-contamination likely. Food is often left at lukewarm temperatures allowing bacteria to grow easily. Risk can be reduced by a well-managed buffet where surplus food is disposed of before it gets dangerous. It is almost important that diners use utensils correctly.
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