DepEd orders tighter food safety precautions

Following a food poisoning incident that killed at least two pupils in Cagayan province Tuesday, the Department of Education has ordered tighter safety precautions in preparing food for students. Education Secretary Armin Luistro reminded school administrators to always place above everything else the health and safety of the students, radio dzBB’s Sam Nielsen reported Wednesday. Luistro said teachers and administrators should double-check food items and the ingredients used to prepare them. Luistro likewise said he does not want a repeat of food poisoning incidents that may threaten not only the health but also the lives of school children. On Tuesday, at least two pupils were killed while 42 others were hospitalized after eating noodles mistakenly cooked with what authorities suspect to be oxalic acid in Cagayan province. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said 41 pupils and three teachers were rushed to the different hospitals in Tuguegarao City. It said two of the 41 pupils, both five years old, died while undergoing treatment at Cagayan Valley Medical Center, Carig, Tuguegarao City. Police said their initial investigation showed the victims ate noodles cooked and sold by one Mrs. Nicolasa Fresado. Tuguegarao police said their initial investigation also showed a white crystalline substance placed in a plastic jar believed to be oxalic acid. Investigators said the oxalic acid may have been “mistakenly used as ingredient/condiments at the Home Economics Kitchen" of the school. Oxalic acid is naturally found in some foods and combines with metals such as calcium in the body to form oxalate crystals which can irritate the gut and kidneys. The most common kind of kidney stone is made of calcium oxalate, according to the website Juicing Book. It is also used in bleaches, some anti-rust products, and some metal cleaners, according to the OxalicAcidInfo site. — RSJ, GMA News