自助餐存在诸多食品安全隐患。比如，食品种类繁多以及顾客自助取餐的就餐方式可能会导致食物之间的交叉污染；食品存放的时间及温度不合规，加速微生物和细菌繁殖。管理规范的餐厅可以通过严格的操作流程来保证食品安全，与此同时食客也需负起一部分责任，在取餐时讲究卫生。本文浅谈自助餐的安全隐患以及如何更好地维护食品安全，保护自己的健康。

词汇：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 isdisposed 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.

测验与练习

一、将标题和段落配对。

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、根据文章内容选出正确的选项。

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、用下列单词完成对本文的总结。

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

（答案见词汇表后）

词汇表

dizzying 令人眼花缭乱的
sheer quantity 分量之大
hygiene 卫生
food poisoning 食物中毒
cross-contamination 交叉污染
microbe 微生物
lukewarm 温的，微热的
bacterium 细菌
multiply 繁殖，大幅增加
be disposed of 被处理掉，被丢弃
top up 添加，补满
undo 消除，抵消
unwittingly 无意地，不知情地
thoughtlessly 不经意地，粗心地
tongs 夹子
ladle 长柄勺
second helping 再次取餐
utensil （厨房的）器具，用具

答案

一、将标题和段落配对。

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、根据文章内容选出正确的选项。

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、用下列单词完成对本文的总结。

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.