Sanitary inspector: Food-safety risks high at congested schools

Densely-populated schools have higher food-safety risks compared to those with lesser population, a sanitary inspector in Quezon City said Thursday. In an interview on GMA News' public service program On Call, Quezon City sanitation inspection supervisor Jake de Vera said congestion is one major sanitation problem in heavily-populated schools because quality suffers when the capacity of school canteens is strained.
"Sa elementary schools, inihahatid ang pagkain sa rooms ng students pero sa high schools hindi. For example, doon sa high school sa Batasan Hills 6,000 ang students so kailangan staggered ang recess time para hindi sabay-sabay." De Vera said said city sanitation inspectors evaluate school canteens’ compliance with standards and practices on the physical structure, housekeeping, and hygiene. But he noted that some canteens are not properly designed. In a separate interview with GMA News Online, De Vera said there are health risks when too many students overcrowd the canteen at any given time, especially when personnel juggle both food and money handling. To address congestion risks, city inspectors recommend that recess time be in shifts to reduce the flow of people going in and out of canteens, he said. He reminded concessionaires of structural considerations in building a canteen, citing observations that sometimes buildings and facilities intended for other purposes are converted into canteens without considering important structural concerns. According to him, food preparation and serving areas should be a good distance from restrooms and waste disposal areas to avoid contamination of food given to students and teachers. Moreover, he said city sanitation standards require that pest control deficiencies be remedied within three days while six months is the allowance given to rectify structural issues such as the nearness of comfort rooms to the canteen's kitchen and serving area. Hygiene, food handling habits Lack of money is not so much of an issue in maintaining food safety and hygiene at canteens. “Sa good housekeeping naman, kahit maliit o mahirap na school makakaya, basta committed ang school administrator at canteen concessionaires sa guide namin na K-A-S-H na ang ibig sabihin ay knowledge, attitude, skills at habits," De Vera said. According to him, the Quezon City sanitary inspection office conducts basic food safety seminar, which runs for 8 to 10 hours and is usually done over three afternoons on-site. De Vera said all food handlers and servers must undergo food safety and food handling seminars. “Kung hindi sila available sa weekdays kasi loaded sa trabaho, nagpapa-seminar kami on-site kapag Sabado, minsan kahit Sunday." He also said there are some canteen concessionaires who prepare and cook their food at locations other than the school canteen and in these cases, city sanitary inspectors must inspect the place where the cooking is done to make sure the concessionaires follow proper food preparation and safety habits. “Ang hirap minsan sa ilang food outlets, mga kamag-anak ng may-ari ang food servers o kaya ay maliit ang pa-sueldo, so nahihirapan minsan mapagsabihan ang personnel na gawin ang habits of personal hygiene at food safety," De Vera said. De Vera urged canteen operators and school managers to maintain compliance, avoid shortcuts and conduct hand washing drills because sanitary inspections will be conducted monthly. —LBG, GMA News