As the winter holidays approach and people are looking forward to copious dinners, the National Food Safety Agency ANSA recommends consumers to shop for food only in authorized places and avoid street vendors.

When shopping at marketplaces, consumers should pay attention if the display refrigerators holding animal source foods are functioning.

ANSA warns that eating pork which skipped the sanitary check can cause trichinosis, a parasitic disease that can lead to paralysis and even death.

To avoid any risks, shoppers should make sure raw meat has an official sanitary certificate. Bear in mind that fresh pork should have a rich pink or red color and feel elastic upon touching. If it's minced meat, shoppers should look at the tag to see how many more days the product is good.

Fresh fish should have glossy, clear eyes, and pink gills. If the fish has gone bad, the gills will be brown, its scales will come off and its flesh will be too soft.

Diary products should sell only in disposable packaging. Shoppers should ask details about the manufacturer's identity, the range of products, the date of manufacture, which should be indicated on a tag attached to the packaging.

Eggs should come from authorized farms and subject to sanitary control.

Other seasonal food items such as Christmas cakes and cookies should also be bought from authorized areas that are under the scrutiny of sanitary authorities.

People who shop in unauthorized places expose themselves to the risk of spending the holidays in hospital, warns ANSA.