Heatwave prompts advice on light summer snacks and food safety

Health experts recommend choosing low‑calorie, hydrating snacks during hot weather. Options such as watermelon, Greek yoghurt with berries, homemade fruit sorbet, cucumber, almonds, olives, and lettuce‑wrapped bites provide refreshment without heavy calories and can support weight‑management goals.

In the same heat, perishable foods – fresh meat, ground meat, fish, poultry, dairy products and raw eggs – spoil quickly. Maintaining the cold chain is crucial: purchase chilled items last, transport them in cooler bags, store them promptly in the coldest part of the refrigerator, keep raw meats separate from ready‑to‑eat foods, and discard anything with off‑odors, textures or swelling packaging. Vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals face higher risk of food‑borne illness, so extra caution is advised.