Groups urge LGUs to conduct food safety info drive

CEBU, Philippines —  Two non-government organizations urged local authorities to conduct a food safety information drive with the resumption of in-person classes after two years of distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a joint statement, the Consumer Rights for Safe Food (CRSF) and the EcoWaste Coalition rallied all local government units (LGUs) to reach out to food vendors to reiterate basic food safety principles and practices.

CRSF president Rene Pineda said that LGUs led by the city or municipal health departments should reach out to informal food vendors and provide them with essential knowledge on how to prevent food from getting contaminated, which can result in mild to serious foodborne illness.

Food safety, as defined in Republic Act 10611 (Food Safety Act of 2013), pertains “to the assurance that food will not cause harm to the consumer when it is prepared or eaten according to its intended use.”

Aileen Lucero, national coordinator of EcoWaste Coalition, said that the informal food vendors are here to stay and should be assisted by the government as they play an important role in sustaining their own families and in providing food and nutrition security to low-income households.

The groups emphasized the need to ensure access to food safety information among individuals and families in the informal food economy.

It can be recalled that 16 people aged 2 to 73 developed symptoms of dizziness, headache, vomiting, cyanosis (bluish discoloration of the skin) and altered sensorium after eating “chicken mami” bought from a makeshift food stall at Gapan Street, Barangay 172, Zone 15 in Gagalangin, Tondo. — GMR (FREEMAN)