Teach children to spot spoiled food

THE recent glass shard contamination issue in Hulu Selangor and food poisoning incident in Kuala Nerang early this year is a sad reminder of the current food safety situation in our country.

Food vendors are hired to serve our children at school, and their inability to adhere to safe practices constantly put the children in danger of food poisoning.

The young ones at school are very vulnerable and can be severely affected by food poisoning. It affects their health and disrupts their progress in class. Some of these cases can be avoided if food handlers practise proper measures when preparing food.

All parties need to ensure that food served in school canteens are prepared with the highest hygiene standards to reduce the probability of food poisoning.

Food vendors must undergo vigorous processes. They must be constantly monitored by the school management and health district offices to ensure that the food served is cooked using a safe method and free from contamination. In other words, stricter standards must be imposed as a requirement for school vendors in addition to the existing Food Act 1983 and Food Hygiene Regulation 2009.

Only food vendors who possess the grade A or “Sangat Bersih” evaluation should be allowed to sell food to students. This will encourage food vendors to be more responsible in how they prepare their food and serve it and to take the necessary action if the surrounding environment affects the cleanliness of their food.

Parents and teachers can also play a crucial part in reducing the probability of food poisoning in school canteens. They can observe the cleanliness of the area, canteen staff and how food is served to their children.

We can observe the presence of cockroaches, rats and flies that may contaminate the food. For example, rats carry the leptospira bacterium which can contaminate food, risking leptospirosis infection to school students.

Other aspects to look into include ensuring that a proper garbage bin is prepared and is complete with its cover, cleanliness of utensils and tables, whether food served is properly covered, and if the canteen workers wear the proper attire.

For example, the worker needs to cover his or her hair, and wear aprons and proper shoes. If the canteen’s cleanliness is unfavourable, parents need to lodge a complaint to the school management and also bring the issue to the Food Safety and Quality Division of the Health Ministry. Irresponsible food vendors must be charged with a higher penalty and repeat offenders should not be allowed to operate again in school canteens.

It is also important for parents and teachers to learn and teach students on food safety, especially on how to spot spoiled food that may cause food poisoning. This includes using your senses (sight, smell and taste) to determine whether the food is still good to be eaten.

We should avoid food that has a slimy appearance, foul smell or tastes stale. These simple steps are easy to practise and must be taught to students. Government agencies and other relevant parties must increase their existing outreach to students and food vendors in urban and rural areas to reinforce their knowledge and understanding on the importance of food safety and how it can be improved.

Bersih, Selamat dan Sihat (BeSS) recognition to food premises is an excellent promotion of food safety among food operators and school canteen operators. It will increase confidence among the school community in the food they consume.

All stakeholders need to collaborate and work together in improving our current food safety situation, especially in school canteens.

Educate our young generation on the importance of food safety and move towards reducing the number of food poisoning cases per year.

SHARVIN A. SUBRAMANIAM

Malaysian Association of Standards Users