FOOD SAFETY AWARENESS. Officials from the Department of Health-Region 7 or Central Visayas, Food and Drug Administration-7, Department of Agriculture-7, and Department of Science and Technology-7 participate in a forum to drum up the "Food Safety Week Celebration" on the last week of October. The forum was organized by the Association of Government Information Officers and the Philippine Information Agency-7. (PNA photo by John Rey Saavedra)
CEBU CITY -- Government agencies here on Tuesday began their information drive on the importance of food safety, especially for small food entrepreneurs and ambulant food vendors on the streets, to prevent food poisoning and food-borne illnesses among consumers.
Representatives of the Department of Health (DOH), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and Department of Agriculture (DA), all in Region 7 or Central Visayas, participated in a forum held at the DOH office here and organized by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA)-7 to create awareness on food safety.
The city government is preparing for Food Safety Awareness Week which is celebrated yearly on the last week of October.
Engineer John Rey Labandero, regional sanitary engineer of DOH-7, said observance is mandated under Presidential Proclamation 160 series of 1999.
He said his office is collaborating with the local government units in enforcing the sanitation code covering food safety.
“Under the Code of Sanitation (of the Philippines), we capacitate sanitary inspectors in the enforcement of local-based food handlers to ensure they have no communicable disease while preparing food for their customers,” Labandero said.
According to him, sanitary permits and regular inspection are necessary to guarantee that food handlers are fit to prepare food and other products intended for mass consumption.
LGUs, he said, must have an ordinance that pertains to food safety and strictly requires food handlers to secure health cards from the local health office.
“For the ambulant vendors, based on code of sanitation, they are allowed only to sell pre-pack food,” Labandero said.
Dr. Wilberto Castillo, chief of integrated laboratory division of DA-7, said the agriculture department is monitoring agricultural food, which may have been contaminated with high fertilizer content, and become toxic and not fit for human consumption.
He said consumers must also be wary of products sold in supermarkets with "organic" claims in the label or packaging.
While non-organic produce is not harmful for humans if washed thoroughly, Castillo said it is best to consume organic fruits and vegetables.
Bryan Ybañez, officer in charge of DOST-7’s provincial science and technology office, said his department is advocating “proactive information campaign and training to make people expert on food handling.”
He said the “information drive and training for food handlers must be a continuous process and it has to be refreshed from time to time.”
Meanwhile, the FDA is concerned on the food safety regulatory system in order to protect consumers’ health, said Lucrecia Matugas, FDA-7 food and drug regulatory officer.
She also advised consumers to only buy water from FDA-certified water bottling or refilling stations.
Matugas said FDA-certified water bottling or refilling stations are equipped with machinery like conveyors to ensure that bottle caps are machine-fed.
On Oct. 22, the DOH will lead a food safety caravan in Metro Cebu which will be followed by a food safety program booth display. This will be participated in by the Regional Food Safety Council technical working group and ambulant vendors.
On Oct. 15, DOH-7 will lead the global hand-washing day celebration in Mantatao Island in Calape, Bohol. (PNA)
