Plenty of people know the rules around meat and fish when it comes to avoiding a serious case of food poisoning, but did you know rice and pasta could be just as lethal? Cooking extra portions of a meal and saving some leftovers can be a budget-friendly way to stretch out your food bill each week.
However, people need to be aware of a secret killer that lurks on some store cupboard staples. Known as ‘fried rice syndrome, the potentially fatal condition is a form of food poisoning that few people realise can occur.
The issue comes from a specific kind of bacteria known as Bacillus cereus. This germ breeds and spreads like wildfire on starchy foods like rice and pasta.
Gastroenterologist Christine Lee said: “Like most food poisoning, fried rice syndrome can occur when you don’t cook or store food at the right temperatures. People call it ‘fried rice syndrome’ because the process of cooking rice, leaving it out and then reheating it creates a perfect environment for this germ.
“Rice is a bunch of tiny pieces, so it has more surface area than something like a steak.” She added: “More surface area means more places for germs to hide.”
Dr Lee also said these specific bacteria use spores that can survive higher temperatures, including the microwave or stovetop. Whilst they’re usually harmless in small quantities, they become a problem when they have the chance to multiply.
Like other types of food poisoning, symptoms include diarrhoea, fever, nausea, stomach pain and vomiting. There have been extreme cases of people dying as a result of ‘fried rice syndrome’, but most will simply “feel awful for a day or two”, claims Dr Lee.
Thankfully, nobody has to swear off rice or pasta forever over fears of getting this dreaded sickness. There are precautions you can take to prevent this bacteria from ruining your favourite cuisine – and most of them are fairly straightforward:
Prevention is always better than seeking a cure. If you’re ever in doubt about the quality of something that’s been sat in your fridge then toss it away. A general rule of thumb is to dispose of leftovers if they haven’t been touched for more than two days.
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