Preventing food poisoning

(Quang Ngai Newspaper) - The Prime Minister has just issued a directive requesting ministries, sectors, and localities to implement measures to prevent and handle food poisoning, emphasizing the recent numerous cases of food poisoning from bread that have resulted in hundreds of people being hospitalized. The most recent food poisoning incident occurred on April 30, 2024, in Long Khanh City ( Dong Nai province). As of May 4, 518 people had to be hospitalized after eating bread, many of whom are in critical condition.

Bread is a very popular food in our country. It's affordable and convenient for both children and adults every morning. For bread vendors, it's also quite simple. All they need is a cart containing bread and fillings, and they can travel the streets selling to customers. Authorities also face considerable difficulties in managing these mobile bread carts.

Loopholes in food safety management have led to a series of food poisoning incidents involving bread in recent times. Most recently, in March 2024, a food poisoning incident involving bread occurred in Son Ha district, resulting in 23 people being hospitalized. Upon inspecting the bread shop, authorities discovered that the owner did not have a business registration license or a food safety certificate. The owner was fined 90 million VND.

Food poisoning incidents aren't limited to mobile food carts; even established establishments like Phuong's Banh Mi in Hoi An City ( Quang Nam province) experienced a food poisoning outbreak in September 2023, resulting in 250 people being hospitalized. In most cases, food poisoning incidents involving banh mi resulted in tests of samples taken by authorities, including pork sausage, pork meat, lettuce, cucumber, onions, and shumai... all of which tested positive for salmonella. This is a type of bacteria that causes gastrointestinal illness in humans and animals, known as salmonella infection. Samples from the banh mi poisoning incident in Son Ha district also confirmed salmonella contamination.

In 2023, the whole country experienced 125 food poisoning incidents, affecting 2,100 people and causing 28 deaths, showing an upward trend compared to the previous year. Bread is a popular food item but also poses a risk of food poisoning. Therefore, heavy fines like in the Son Ha case are only temporary solutions; the most important thing remains the awareness of bread vendors in ensuring food safety when selling to customers.

TRAN DANG

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Published at: 14:30, 06/05/2024

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