Filtered By: Lifestyle
Lifestyle

Check street food before eating them, DOH says


With the days getting hotter, the public should be more cautious about eating street food, the Department of Health said, according to a report on Unang Balita on Wednesday.

Food sold on streets may spoil easily, the DOH said.

People should check if the food and the containers are clean, it added, GMA News' Marisol Abdurahman reported.

Vendors in Blumentritt in Manila are aware that food may spoil easily, and have adopted measures such as preparing and displaying only a few items under the midday heat.

The DOH said the public should watch how the street food items are prepared, and whether the food handler has clean hands or is wearing gloves.

It added that the cooking area must be sanitary.

The sauces should be ladled out per order in containers and not immediately accessible for everyone to use and dip their food into, the DOH said.

Drinks popularly known as "samalamig" are better stored in containers with built-in faucets rather than having a vendor open the lid and dip a glass inside.

"'Yung kamay, maipapasok nila doon, so mako-contaminate 'yon," DOH Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag said.

The public should also check if the glasses and the ice cubes used are clean, the DOH said.

With regards to meat items, the food should not have pink parts.

"Kung karne 'yan, walang pink parts. So kung may pink parts ka roon, hilaw 'yon," Tayag said.

The DOH also said raw foods should not be stored together with cooked food items to prevent cross-contamination.

Also, keep in mind the four-hour rule, the DOH said. Consume food within four hours of cooking. If food cannot be consumed immediately, these should be placed inside the refrigerator.

"Keep food warm kung siya ay nilutong mainit, and keep food cold kung siya naman ay hinanda na dapat malamig sapagkat dito ngayon magiging panganib ang kontaminasyon," Tayag said. —KG, GMA News

LOADING CONTENT