TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1993
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FOOD TESTED TO ENSURE PUBLIC HYGIENE
THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH CONDUCTS A FOOD SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMME AND TAKES FOOD SAMPLES FOR TEST REGULARLY TO ENSURE THAT FOOD SUPPLIED TO THE COMMUNITY IS WHOLESOME, UNADULTERATED, UNCONTAMINATED, PROPERLY LABELLED AND OF NUTRITIOUS QUALITY,
IN THE SECOND QUARTER OF THIS YEAR, THE HYGIENE DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT HAS TAKEN 6,774 FOOD SAMPLES FOR CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.
TEST REPORTS REVEALED THAT 6,708 SAMPLES WERE SATISFACTORY WHILE 66 OR 0.97 PER CENT WERE UNSATISFACTORY.
OF
THE RESULTS OF BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION SHOWED THAT OUT THE 2,589 SAMPLES TAKEN, 2,479 WERE SATISFACTORY WHILE 110 OR 4.2 PER CENT WERE UNSATISFACTORY.
MAJORITY OF THE UNSATISFACTORY CASES INCLUDED HIGH BACTERIAL COUNT IN SHELLFISH, FISH FOR EATEN RAW AND MEAT PRODUCTS.
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OTHERS WERE MAINLY SEAFOOD CONTAINING HIGHER LEVEL OF HEAVY METAL AND FOOD CONTAINING NON-PERMITTED FOOD ADDITIVES,
THE UNSATISFACTORY EXAMINATION RESULTS FOR MEAT AND MEAT PRODUCTS WERE ATTRIBUTED MAINLY TO IMPROPER HANDLING AND STORAGE OF THESE FOODS IN RETAIL OUTLETS.
FOLLOWING SOME REPORTED FOOD POISONING CASES DUE TO CONSUMPTION OF CORAL FISH, SAMPLES WERE TAKEN FOR BIOTOXIN TEST BUT NEGATIVE RESULTS WERE FOUND SO FAR.
THE DIVISION CARRIED OUT 45 PROSECUTIONS AND ISSUED 41 WARNING
LETTERS.
ON
THE CHECKING OF LABELS FOR PREPACKAGED FOOD, THE DIVISION CHECKED 3,452 LABELS, ISSUED 51 WARNING LETTERS AND EXECUTED SEVEN
PROSECUTIONS.
IN THE SAME PERIOD, THE DIVISION INSPECTED 1,690,678 KILOGRAMS OF IMPORTED MEAT AND 2,986,950 KILOGRAMS OF IMPORTED POULTRY IN 1,019 INSPECTIONS.
DURING THE MONTHS, A TOTAL OF 300,195 KILOGRAMS OF FOOD WERE FOUND UNFIT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION AND DESTROYED.
FIFTY INCIDENTS OF FOOD POISONING WERK REPORTED DURING THE PERIOD WITH 297 PERSONS AFFECTED.
INVESTIGATIONS SHOWED THAT 33 WERE DOMESTIC OUTBREAKS AND 14 WERE FOOD-PREMISES OUTBREAKS.
THE PLACE OF CONSUMPTION OF ANOTHER TWO INCIDENTS WAS UNKNOWN WHILE THE LAST CASE WAS AN IMPORTED ONE.
THE
CONTRIBUTING
CONTAMINATED STORAGE
FACTORS WERE PESTICIDE VEGETABLES, CONTAMINATION OF FOOD BY FOOD-HANDLER, IMPROPER AND INADEQUATE COOKING.
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