City won't ban selling of street food

Friday, January 27, 2012

DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said Friday that banning of street food vending in any parts of the city is not an option.

She issued such statement after the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) announced a disturbing result of its study on food samples taken from various street food sold on city streets that tested positive for certain bacteria called Escherichia coli (ecoli) and salmonella.

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The mayor said she has yet to receive the findings of DOST, as well as the agency recommendations to which she will base her position whether to ban street food selling in the city.

Asked if the total ban of street food in Davao City is possible, Duterte-Carpio told Sun.Star Davao that "food per se is not dangerous, improper food handling is."

She even lauded the initiative of the science department in initiating the study as it would benefit not only the researchers but the entire country in general.

She said maybe before the end of February, she might get the copy of the study together with their recommendations.

The mayor, however, pointed out that even before the DOST conducted its study, the city has been constantly monitoring the safety of street food.

"We have distributed carts that are ideal for street food cooking and display, vendors use hair nets, go thorough food handling seminar and get ID from City Health Office (CHO)," the mayor added.

DOST-Davao Region director Anthony Sales said the study conducted by Speckmaier and the Davao Food Safety Team started in November of last year, covering street vendors from Bankerohan and those in the streets of San Pedro and Bolton.

Among the food samples that tested positive for those bacteria were balut, kwek-kwek, and barbeque.

Sales said they will complete the study by the end of February and will come up with interventions in order to help the vendors in their compliance on food safety requirements.