School heads reminded on DepEd’s food safety guidelines

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Education (DepEd) over the weekend reminded all school division and regional heads to implement strictly the food safety guidelines it issued recently. DepEd issued the reminder following the food poisoning incident at the Jose Corazon de Jesus Elementary School in Tondo, Manila. Over 100 pupils were hospitalized. DepEd Order No. 52 spelled out the food safety guidelines. It instructed school officials to personally oversee the effective management of school canteens whether those are school-managed or teachers’ cooperative-managed. If foods at the canteen are supplied on consignment basis, the DepEd order said the following measures shall be made: 1. There should be a written agreement between the concessionaire and school head 2. The school head should ensure that the food supplier has a business permit and sanitary permit 3. The school head/canteen teacher should require a health certificate for food handlers 4. The canteen teacher shall coordinate with the municipal health office on the periodic monitoring of food preparation and packaging 5. Foods should be nutritious, safe and affordable 6. Inspection of the consigned foods shall be made before serving/vending them at the canteen. The order also added: “A monitoring team shall be tasked to ensure adherence to standards on quality, handling and serving of food in the school canteen and that food safety standards and hygienic practices are strictly observed and implemented." Above all, the DepEd order said “school heads and teachers should encourage parents to prepare snacks for their children to eat during recess time." One hundred and twelve students from the Jose Corazon de Jesus Elementary School experienced diarrhea, vomiting and nausea after eating mais con yelo, egg sandwiches and hotdogs supplied the school’s canteen. Although health officials have found that the food poisoning was caused by salmonella bacteria, the source of the bacteria could not yet be determined. - GMANews.TV