Uneasy about street food

Shops in front of a school gate in Ho Chi Minh City.

Cheap, easy to buy, not safe

In front of the gates of large hospitals or schools, it is easy to see mobile stalls selling all kinds of food and drinks. The bustling buying and selling usually takes place when people go to work and children go to school. At noon on May 3, nearly a dozen stalls selling rice, noodles, bread, and soft drinks were bustling along both sides of Dien Bien Phu Street, in front of Binh Dan Hospital. The dining table for guests is next to the drainage, which is also the place to throw trash and wash the food containers of the restaurant. However, patients or relatives still accept a cheap meal for quickness, ignoring concerns about food hygiene and safety. Most street food carts are simply equipped, and the ingredients are not covered carefully.

At a sandwich stall on Nguyen Gia Thieu Street (District 3), the saleswoman is always busy and does not use gloves, but customers do not mind. “I do not think this is too important. The bread here is delicious and cheap, and it is convenient for me to go to work, so I often buy it,” said Ms. Le Thi Giang (Thu Duc City).

The issue of food safety with street food is not new but has never ceased to be a source of tension. Management agencies and local authorities have taken specific measures, schools have also issued warnings to parents and students, however the situation of unsafe food consumption has not been completely resolved.

Ms. Tran Thi Ty (living in Thu Duc City) said that she did not let her 7-year-old son buy bread in front of the school gate for breakfast, after hearing that 15 elementary school students were hospitalized for suspected food poisoning. “In front of my child’s school gate is a row of breakfast stalls, they often give away soft drinks or toys, so the children really like it. After 4 p.m., people sell ice cream and cotton candy, many children ask their parents to buy them. My child saw his friends eating so he asked his mother for money to buy them, but from now on I will absolutely not let him snack at the school gate anymore,” Ms. Ty confided.

A child suspected of food poisoning from Dong Nai is being treated at Children's Hospital 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

Peak heat, increased risk

Dr. Ly Kha Nien, Head of the Nutrition Department, Le Van Thinh Hospital, said that the current intense heat is a favorable condition for bacteria to grow, food can easily spoil or be contaminated with germs and parasites if not properly preserved. This risk is even higher with street food, when most vendors do not comply with regulations on protective equipment, preservation tools or the origin of raw materials. "There are street stalls that leave food from morning to afternoon in hot weather, food can easily spoil, especially raw food and fermented food. When eating food contaminated with bacteria such as E.coli, Salmonella..., patients will suffer from digestive disorders, intestinal infections, the severity of which depends on each specific case," Dr. Ly Kha Nien informed.

According to Ms. Pham Khanh Phong Lan, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety, controlling food outside schools is not without difficulties, especially with street vendors. Ms. Pham Khanh Phong Lan recommends that parents limit the use of snacks outside the school gate for young children, and limit giving their children pocket money, thereby helping to prevent the risk of food poisoning and digestive disorders. The Department will increase inspections and surprise checks of collective kitchens and canteens in schools as well as in companies, hospitals, businesses, and export processing zones... to ensure safety and quality. During this period, the Department will focus more on the school sector.

“Although Ho Chi Minh City is controlling the situation well, mass food poisoning incidents among students can happen at any time if people and authorities are not vigilant. When people have information or witness unsafe food practices at production and business establishments, they need to report to the competent management agency via hotline (028) 39301714 for timely handling,” Ms. Pham Khanh Phong Lan advised.

Saigon Liberation Newspaper

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