THE big news Tuesday was the buko juice poisoning juice at a Calatrava school Christmas party. The deadly juice claimed the life of a five-year-old girl and downed 26 others, including 19 children.
According to a report of Calatrava Municipal Health Office, food handlers improperly failed to prepare the buko juice by the simple act of washing their hands. These probably had no prior orientation on basic food safety and sanitation.
How many of our food handlers and caterers do the same? The Calatrava incident is an accident waiting to happen. How is food safety enforced in the Philippines but the year-round as well especially in the most vulnerable communities?
The Philippines has enacted the Food and Safety Act of 2013 (Republic Act No. 10611) to serve the interests of both consumers and food business operators.
Food, according to law, refers to any substance or product whether processed, partially processed, or unprocessed that is intended for human consumption.
Food safety refers to the assurance that food will not cause harm to the consumer when it is prepared or eaten according to its intended use. Food hygiene, on the other hand, refers to the measures and conditions necessary to control hazards that could lead to food-borne illnesses and to ensure fitness for human consumption of a food of plant or animal origin taking into account its intended use.
The long and short of it is that there seems to be a violation of RA 10611 with the death and downing of many others in Calatrava. The food handlers failed to ensure that the food served the requirements of food law relevant to their activities in the food supply chain and that control systems are in place to prevent, eliminate, or reduce risks to consumers.
Unfortunately, every Christmas Filipinos throw caution to the wind. Is there a law against pig-outs? Think of the ubiquitous lechons, hams, kansis (bulalo), among others. And eaters are encouraged to feast on food rich in grease, salt, and transfat using hydrogenated cooking oil for deep frying.
On the topic of food, former DOH Secretary Dr. Enrique T. Ona recommended avoiding salty and fatty foods, as well as including vegetables and fruits in the Noche Buena menu. He added, “Cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and diabetes mellitus, the four major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the country are linked by four most common and preventable risk factors related to lifestyle - tobacco use, unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, and alcohol use.”
Unhealthy vices which are often associated with Christmas celebrations.
In fact, National Nutrition Surveys conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute showed that from 2003 to 2008, hypertension and diabetes became more prevalent. The same study also showed that consumption of fatty and sugary foods increased, especially during the holidays.
So there. Let’s enjoy the festivities as we celebrate the birth of the infant Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, and not of Bacchus, the Roman god that symbolizes the banquet game of the glory and gluttony of Rome.
(bqsanc@yahoo.com)