Shops in front of a school gate in Ho Chi Minh City.
Cheap, easy to buy, not safe
In front of the gates of large hospitals or schools, it is easy to see mobile stalls selling all kinds of food and drinks. The bustling buying and selling usually takes place when people go to work and children go to school. At noon on May 3, nearly a dozen stalls selling rice, noodles, bread, and soft drinks were bustling along both sides of Dien Bien Phu Street, in front of Binh Dan Hospital. The dining table for guests is next to the drainage, which is also the place to throw trash and wash the food containers of the restaurant. However, patients or relatives still accept to eat a cheap meal quickly, ignoring concerns about food hygiene and safety. Most street food vendors are simply equipped, and the ingredients are not carefully covered.
At a bakery stall on Nguyen Gia Thieu Street (District 3), the saleswoman was busy and did not use gloves, but customers did not mind. “I don’t think this is too important. The bread here is delicious and cheap, and it’s convenient for my commute, so I often buy it,” said Ms. Le Thi Giang (Thu Duc City).
Food safety issues with street food are not new but have never ceased to be a source of tension. Management agencies and local authorities have taken specific measures, schools have also issued warnings to parents and students, however, the situation of unsafe food consumption has not been completely resolved.
Ms. Tran Thi Ty (living in Thu Duc City) said that she did not let her 7-year-old son buy bread for breakfast in front of the school gate, after hearing the news that 15 elementary school students were hospitalized due to suspected food poisoning. “In front of my child’s school gate is a row of breakfast stalls, they often give away soft drinks or toys, so the children really like it. After 4 p.m., people sell ice cream and cotton candy, many children ask their parents to buy them. My child saw his friends eating, so he asked his mother for money to buy them, but from now on I absolutely will not let him snack at the school gate anymore,” Ms. Ty confided.
A child suspected of food poisoning from Dong Nai is being treated at Children's Hospital 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
Peak heat, increased risk
Dr. Ly Kha Nien, Head of the Department of Nutrition, Le Van Thinh Hospital, said that the current intense heat is a favorable condition for bacteria to grow, food can easily spoil or be contaminated with germs and parasites if not properly preserved. This risk is even higher with street food, when most vendors do not comply with regulations on protective equipment, preservation tools or the origin of raw materials. "There are street stalls that leave food from morning to afternoon in hot weather, food can easily spoil, especially raw food and fermented food. When eating food contaminated with bacteria such as E.coli, Salmonella..., patients will suffer from digestive disorders, intestinal infections, the severity of which depends on each specific case," Dr. Ly Kha Nien informed.
According to Ms. Pham Khanh Phong Lan, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety, controlling food outside schools is not without difficulties, especially with street vendors. Ms. Pham Khanh Phong Lan recommends that parents limit the use of snacks outside the school gate for young children, and limit giving their children pocket money, thereby helping to prevent the risk of food poisoning and digestive disorders. The Department will increase inspections and surprise checks of collective kitchens and canteens in schools as well as in companies, hospitals, enterprises, and export processing zones to ensure safety and quality. During this period, the Department will focus more on the school sector.
“Although Ho Chi Minh City is controlling the situation well, mass food poisoning incidents among students can happen at any time if people and authorities are not vigilant. When people have information or witness unsafe food practices at production and business establishments, they need to report to the relevant authorities via hotline (028) 39301714 for timely handling,” Ms. Pham Khanh Phong Lan advised.
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