Hot weather poses a risk of food insecurity
From the end of February to now, Ho Chi Minh City has recorded 2 suspected food poisoning cases related to bread, causing many people to go to medical facilities for examination and treatment.
Most recently, the system of hospitals in the area has received a total of 108 cases for examination with symptoms of digestive disorders such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and some cases accompanied by high fever after eating bread on Do Chieu street (Vung Tau ward). Initial test results from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health showed that 54.9% of patients' stool samples were positive for Salmonella bacteria.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety, the city is entering the peak of hot weather. This is a favorable condition for bacteria and mold to develop. Food is therefore easily spoiled and deteriorated if not properly preserved.
In Ho Chi Minh City, street food areas, crowded food services such as school gates, crowded residential areas are warned to be hotspots with potential food safety risks, especially when the origin of food is unclear or the preservation stage is not guaranteed. From there, it is easy to lead to poisoning and digestive disorders for consumers, especially children and the elderly.
Strengthening inspection and supervision
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Khanh Phong Lan - Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety, the weather characteristic of the hot season is high temperature and humidity, which is a favorable environment for bacteria to develop, leading to pollution or easily spoiling food if not carefully preserved.
In addition, prolonged hot weather makes many people reluctant to cook, so they often buy unhygienic street food, and food sold without proper preservation also causes food poisoning.
According to Ms. Lan, the most important principle is to eat cooked food and drink boiled water, limiting raw or raw dishes during this time such as raw fish salad or raw beef. People should use boiled water or quality bottled water, and pay attention to the origin and quality of ice served with drinks.
The first note is that in any situation, you must eat cooked food and drink boiled water. At this time, you should not use raw or raw dishes because bacteria develop very quickly. Even people with good resistance can still be food poisoned if they are subjective" - Ms. Lan emphasized.
At the same time, food should be purchased at legal establishments with clear origins. After purchase, proper preservation and processing are also very important, food should not be left in the refrigerator for too long or overnight because in hot weather, many types of food can quickly spoil.
To proactively reduce the risk of food insecurity in the hot season, Ho Chi Minh City has strengthened inspection and supervision of food production, processing, and business establishments, especially at collective kitchens, food services and street food. At the same time, the city promotes communication in many forms to raise awareness and guide people to choose, process and preserve food safely.
People should proactively report to functional agencies immediately when they detect food establishments that do not meet hygiene conditions, do not have documents proving their origin, or when they detect food showing signs of spoilage, to promptly handle and protect their legitimate rights.
