The places that provide food for each family's meals are very diverse. Families in cities are supermarkets, wholesale markets, retail stores and retail markets; families in rural areas are mainly markets, retail stores or self-sufficient. Food used to prepare family meals can be divided into two groups: Prepackaged food, fully labeled: for example, canned milk, canned food, candy, soft drinks... and Fresh food (not prepackaged, not fully labeled): for example, vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, seafood,... How to choose each food group is as follows:
Location, food storage:
- When buying food at supermarkets, stores should choose foods that are stored at temperatures appropriate to each type of product. For example: vegetables, tubers, fruits, eggs are stored at room temperature or cool; meat, seafood are stored in the freezer.
You should buy vegetables and fruits that are stored in the refrigerator.
- When buying food at traditional markets, you should choose familiar or reputable stalls. Avoid stalls near areas with high risk of pollution such as sewers, areas with garbage, near unsanitary places, etc. You should choose stalls that display vegetables, tubers, fruits separately from meat, poultry products and seafood.
Green vegetables and fruits group:
- When choosing green vegetables , you should not buy bunches of vegetables with larger stems than usual, you should not choose vegetables that are too crispy when broken fresh, have dark green leaves, and from a distance the upper surface of the leaves is very shiny and smooth, because these vegetables use too much nitrogen or foliar fertilizer. Safe vegetables often have small leaves and stems, are a bit hard, and have holes and mold caused by worms. When boiled, the vegetable water has the green color of chlorophyll, squeeze lemon into it, the green color is even greener, and there is no strange smell. In addition, safe vegetables are often not shiny, not as green as vegetables sprayed with growth stimulants.
- When choosing fruit, limit buying off-season fruits, especially in the last months of the season. Because at this time the weather is not favorable, pests and diseases develop a lot, growers have to use a lot of pesticides, growth stimulants with doses exceeding the safe level and even use them close to the harvest date. Do not choose fruits that are too large (larger than normal size), fruits with shiny green skin, cracks, bruises or fruits with spots on the stem and do not choose fruits with unusual smells and flavors. You should choose fresh, intact fruits, without scratches, natural color, the fruit must feel heavy, crunchy and firm. Do not buy peeled and pre-cut fruits, fruits soaked in water because the water source is not hygienic or mixed with toxic substances to make the fruit ripen quickly, keep the white, crunchy appearance to attract buyers. Be careful with fruits that still look fresh and green, but the inside is spoiled due to the use of preservatives.
Choose meat, fish and seafood:
- Meat of all kinds (pork, chicken, beef, etc.): The outer membrane of the meat is dry, not slimy, has no strange smell, rancid smell, or antibiotic smell; Normal, typical color: fresh pink pork, moderately dark beef (not too dark), red-purple buffalo meat; Firm, sticky, soft and elastic meat mass, pressing the finger into the meat creates a dent but leaves no trace when lifting the finger; White pork fat, thick skin without red-purple hemorrhagic spots, no bruises, blood clots; Cut the meat and see no water, the meat is not wasted, the cut is bright and dry; Check the lean meat and tongue for small white tapeworm larvae the size of rice grains. Processed meat such as roast meat, ham, sausage must be careful, should only be purchased from establishments with clear origin, the counter ensures hygiene. Do not buy if the product is not stored in a tightly covered cabinet, or is bright red, has a strange smell.
- With seafood: seafood, if possible, should choose fresh, live foods, or if not live, should be preserved in ice whether sold in supermarkets or traditional markets. For example, choose some fresh seafood as follows: fresh fish must have a closed mouth, a firm, elastic body, leaving no fingerprints on the fish meat. The fish scales are shiny, tightly attached to the fish body, without mucus and unpleasant odors. The gills are pinkish red, not slimy or smelly. Shrimp shells are shiny, long and smooth. Live clams, oysters and snails. Cuttlefish should have white meat like coconut jam, which is delicious, squid should be medium sized, not too big, and not have broken black bags. Other types of seafood should be fresh, have normal color, and especially do not have a rotten smell.

Should choose fresh seafood
- Eggs (duck, chicken, quail, etc.): When choosing eggs, hold the egg in the palm of your hand, only the two ends of the egg are exposed, look at the egg head, and shine the other end up to a light source (sunlight or electric light). Observe the inside of the egg for blood stains? Are there any parasites, worms, or strange objects? Candied eggs are pink, transparent with a pink dot; the air sac has a diameter of < 1cm, and a fixed perimeter.
With prepackaged foods:
The packaging must be intact as the original manufacturer's, the label must have all the main information related to the product including: product name, place of manufacture, product batch number, date of manufacture, expiry date, instructions for use, storage instructions, nutritional value, etc. Only choose foods that are within their expiry date. For processed foods, there should be additional information about commonly used food additives such as preservatives and colorants. Consumers should carefully read the ingredient information on the food label to choose the right food, to avoid the possibility of allergies to one or more ingredients in the food.

Frozen foods should be stored in the refrigerator at 2 - 5 degrees Celsius.
Products must be stored in conditions that meet the manufacturer's requirements, for example, frozen meat and seafood products must be kept in the freezer, milk and dairy products must be stored in the refrigerator at 2 - 5 o C, prepackaged cereal products must be stored in a cool, dry place at room temperature...
Canned food: Canned food is now quite popular and trusted by many housewives. Pay attention to the information on the label to choose safe canned food such as: The shelf life of canned food is often quite long, canned food with low acid concentration such as pork, beef, chicken, cereal products, canned potatoes have a shelf life of 2-5 years; tomato products, vegetable juices, pickles have a shelf life of 12-18 months. You should choose products that are still within their expiry date, boxes with two lids, boxes that are dented, and make a sharp sound when tapped. Do not choose and use canned products if the following phenomena occur:
- If the box is bulging at the lid or other locations, the product inside has been decomposed by microorganisms and produces gas.
- Canned food packaging is open or leaking, dented, rusted or deformed due to strong impact.
- Canned food has a foul smell when opened, a strange smell different from the characteristic smell of the product.
Foods not to buy
Absolutely do not use moldy nuts because they may contain toxins that cause liver cancer.
- Moldy dry foods, especially grains and oilseeds such as beans and peanuts, may contain mycotoxins such as aflatoxin, which can cause liver cancer.
- Vegetables, tubers and fruits have strange smells of pesticides; meat and seafood have strange smells of antibiotics and veterinary drugs.
- Food additives such as preservatives, colorants, and packaged chemical sugars without labels or unknown origins.
MSc. Dr. Nguyen Van Tien - Institute of Nutrition