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Food safety in collective canteens in enterprises is always a matter of concern for various sectors, levels, and workers. To proactively prevent food poisoning in collective canteens, the Department of Health has proposed that localities and units implement a comprehensive set of solutions to enhance management capacity, focus on inspection, supervision, and post-inspection to prevent and minimize incidents related to food safety.

The collective kitchen at Saigon Stec Co., Ltd. (Thu Dau Mot City) is designed one-way, ensuring cleanliness

Working people’s healthcare

About 2 hours after having lunch at Eclipse Polymers Vina Co., Ltd. (Thuan An City), 3 company employees experienced symptoms of rash, headache, and nausea. In the afternoon of the same day, the Thuận An City Health Center received 14 cases from the workers of Eclipse Polymers Vina Co., Ltd., including 3 cases with symptoms and 11 cases wanting health monitoring. After examination and rest, by 5 p.m. on the same day, the health of the 3 workers had stabilized. However, to ensure the health of workers, the Thuận An City Health Center continues to monitor and discharge at 8 p.m. on the same day.

Based on investigation and verification of the incident, the authorities stated that Eclipse Polymers Vina Company had a contract with TB Industrial Catering Co., Ltd. (Thu Dau Mot City) to organize cooking for the company's collective kitchen. On the day of the incident, TB Company organized cooking and served food for 55 people at Eclipse Polymers Vina Company. In a total of 55 workers, TB organizes cooking dishes such as: White rice, boiled pork, minced pumpkin soup with meat, boiled vegetables, raw vegetables, fried silver carp, braised gourd, fried eggs, lettuce, tomato salad. Currently, Eclipse Polymers Vina Company has temporarily suspended the catering contract with TB.

Based on the clinical symptoms, the progression of the cases, the results of the epidemiological investigation, the clinical diagnosis, the Thuận An City Health Center concluded that the incident at Eclipse Polymers Vina Company was not a case of food poisoning but due to unsafe food. The Center also advises TB to fully comply with the legal regulations on food safety, food inspection regime, and food sample storage for 24 hours as prescribed by the Ministry of Health. Eclipse Polymers Vina Company needs to establish a self-managed food safety team to proactively enhance supervision, implement food safety regulations in the company's collective kitchen, and other regulations on food safety. In particular, the company continues to monitor the health status of its employees, if there are any abnormal health signs, they must be taken to a medical facility for examination and treatment.

Over the past time, businesses in the province have been particularly concerned about the quality of collective meals and consider the health of workers as the health of the enterprise. A series of businesses design one-way kitchens, establish standards when selecting, processing, and preparing food to improve the quality of meals, ensure health for workers to work and contribute with peace of mind.

The typical example is Saigon Stec Co., Ltd. (Thu Dau Mot City) has designed a one-way collective dining room and performed well in the 3 initial steps of antibacterial inspection. Mr. Do Quang Tung, Head of Administration - Human Resources Department of the company said: To ensure nutrition, food portions for workers, the company's kitchen always strictly complies with all regulations, procedures from raw material import, food processing to food distribution and serving. Kitchen utensils are always clean, tidy, the company has specialized food preservation equipment. The company assigns employees to record, take samples, store food samples fully according to the correct process so the workers are very satisfied with the meal shift at the company.

Mobilization, propaganda and combined check-up

Binh Duong is a province with a developed industrial sector, attracting many companies and factories to operate, leading to an increasing demand for providing meal shifts at businesses. Recognizing the importance of ensuring food safety in organizations, managing collective meals at businesses, industries, and levels within the province are particularly concerned about this issue. However, incidents still occur, such as at Eclipse Polymers Vina Company.

Over time, the Department of Health has directed the Provincial Food Safety and Hygiene Department to coordinate with localities and relevant agencies to disseminate and mobilize businesses in the province to comply with food safety laws, focusing on the quality of meals for workers. The Department of Health recommends that localities and units implement synchronized solutions to enhance management capacity, focus on inspection, supervision, and post-inspection work to prevent and minimize food safety incidents. The head of the institution, the unit organizing the collective kitchen, must be responsible if incidents related to food safety and hygiene occur.

Reported by Kim Ha – Translated by Vi Bao