Need to tighten management of street food safety in industrial zones

In industrial zones and clusters in Thanh Hoa, the need for fast food among workers has led to a series of street food stalls springing up in front of factory gates. However, the hygiene conditions at many points of sale still pose a risk of food safety, requiring strict management and regular inspection.

Processed foods are chosen by many workers because they are convenient, fast and cheap.

At around 6pm at Thieu Duong Industrial Park (Ham Rong Ward), right when workers got off work, the food stalls quickly filled up with people. All the stalls here had no signs or roofs. The selling equipment was rudimentary, the food was prepared at home and brought to sell. Some vendors only used a food container; the better-off had a small table to display the food.

In such crowded times, few people care about the origin of food, processing conditions or whether the utensils are hygienic or not. The factor of “convenience - fast - cheap” is enough to attract long lines of workers to wait to buy and sit right on the roadside to eat and drink.

Faced with this situation, the local authorities said they would strengthen inspections and take corrective measures. Mr. Le Minh Tuan, Vice Chairman of Ham Rong Ward People's Committee, said: "In the coming time, the Ward People's Committee will focus on inspecting and reviewing establishments that do not meet food hygiene and safety conditions for strict handling. At the same time, widely propagate to workers in industrial parks and clusters, including Thieu Duong Industrial Cluster, about choosing safe food."

Not only Thieu Duong Industrial Cluster, the situation of unsafe food is also common in many other industrial zones and clusters in the province. At many points of sale, raw and cooked food are placed together on the same table. Ready-to-eat food is left out in the open air, without any cover, easily contaminated by road dust, vehicle exhaust and flies. Some stalls use re-used frying oil many times, cooked food is left from afternoon to evening without any temperature preservation measures.

Prepared food is not covered, allowing flies and dirt to stick to it.

When the authorities conducted inspections, many establishments could not produce business licenses, food safety certificates, or even invoices or documents proving the origin of the ingredients. Some sellers did not even understand the minimum regulations on food safety, such as using gloves and separate cutting boards for raw and cooked foods, or properly preserving food.

However, the inspection and handling of violations still face many difficulties. The industrial zones are large, the number of street vendors fluctuates constantly, one day they appear but the next they change to another person, making it difficult to monitor and record the handling. The functional forces at the commune and ward levels are thin, so it is difficult to control all the selling points that appear at the end of the working day.

The organization of inspection and handling of violations of food safety and hygiene on the street still has many shortcomings.

Food safety in industrial zones is not only directly related to the health of workers but also affects the productivity of enterprises. Therefore, in addition to tightening management, increasing inspection and guidance for sellers, encouraging the expansion of clean and hygienic store models are necessary solutions. More importantly, workers need to raise awareness of choosing safe food to protect themselves.

Huong Quynh

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/can-siet-chat-quan-ly-an-toan-thuc-pham-duong-pho-tai-cac-khu-cong-nghiep-270403.htm