Food sellers warned of fruit contamination

[StrontiumDog]

Food sellers warned of fruit contamination

Food sellers warned of fruit contamination


By By Jeerawan Prasomsab
The Nation
Published on September 14, 2010

PM's Office Minister Ongart Klampaiboon has joined with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to pressure street hawkers selling fruit contaminated with micro-organisms, salicylic acid, and artificial colours - to change their ways or face up to two years in jail and/or fines of Bt20,000.

Ongart, overseeing the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB), said yesterday that OCPB had received complaints from city residents over unsafe fruit.

As a result, OCPB, the Department of Medical Sciences, and Chulalongkorn, Kasetsart and Siam universities collected fruit samples from 38 stalls in Bangkok and vicinity areas in August, using test kits for pesticide, salicylic acid, artificial colours and coliform organisms.

Out of 153 fruit samples, 67.3 per cent were found to be contaminated with organisms, posing a threat of gastroenterologic diseases, he said. They also found artificial colours in 16.3 per cent and salicylic acid in 40.7 per cent of 161 fruit samples. Ongart said that 64.2 per cent of pickled fruit samples, especially pickled guava with bright green and red colours, were contaminated with artificial colours and salicylic acid.

From now on, BMA officials would hold campaigns for food safety among manufacturers and sellers and give them one month to change their ways, before the authority checks on fruit quality again.

Those who fail to eliminate such contamination would be punished by up to two years in jail and/or fines of Bt20,000. Officials expected that Bangkok would see a change for the better in food safety in three months before consumer awareness over the issue extends to other regions.

[Poo and Pee]

unsafe fruit

bloody hell. What next...

[BobR]

It's laughable to hear the so called "backpackers" crowing about the virtues of street food. The people who sell food on the streets are those with no education and no other way to make a living, and it's not surprising that most of what they sell is contaminated. Not only do they not have professional training, they do not even have the health skills our mothers taught us, and the probably do not care about the people they sell to. Street food is asking for trouble.

[hazz]

Nothing unexpected here, except for the aspirin. I am curious about that because, although aspirin can be used as an adulterant to preserve fruit, as a lot of fruit has naturally occurring aspirin. Its not clear here if they have been careful about false positives for food adulteration.

I am curious how many street venders are still putting borax in their meat, fish ball products to firm the stuff up, that is an issue as borax, whilst not that toxic, isn't something you really want to eat without reason. Same for MSG.

I think the reason why theres not a food poisoning epidemic that most street food is served piping hot straight into a clean plastic bag or on a stick. So You are easting lots and lots of well cooked bugs with your food. As for cold food venders, you have to be insane or immune to the bugs.

[Nostradamus]

If I am constipated, street food is a great way to get the system working again.

[Poo and Pee]

I've heard that the orange juice sold by vendors is riddled with pestacides. Shame that is, as it tastes great and I used to drink it daily..

[hazz]

I've heard that the orange juice sold by vendors is riddled with pestacides. Shame that is, as it tastes great and I used to drink it daily..

Unfortunately I would expect all food in Thailand to be riddled with pesticides; judging by the way I have seen people using it they either don't care about their own health or genuinely believe the stuff is harmless!

I understand the insect food can be badly contaminated as pesticide is often used to kill ready for cooking!

[HollyGoodhead]

What do they mean by organisms?

I'm not the biggest fan of street food (is it even so much different from restaurant food minus the kitchen?), but I've never been sick from it... and fruit shakes I've had have been really delicious, always specify no sugar or syrup, but yesterday I was surprised/shocked/repulsed to see the fruit shaker lady add salt! I said no sugar or syrup why the hell would I want salt... luckily it tasted ok.

[Nostradamus]

The salt is to rehydrate your body.

A bit of salt in the nam som tastes great.

[HollyGoodhead]

yeah but they already put a load of salt in most of the food... not in my fruit shake too thanks.

[Panda]

Good to see the government has given it a month for them to stop poisoning people and will be later moving the campaign into other regions.

[billy the kid]

has taken them a long long time to get around to sorting that lil item out.
but will they follow it up.
like the poison they feed the porkies to make em look pink an healthy.
said they would 7 years ago but did they ?
why do people always get chicken breast an no leg in thailand?
god i luv the juicy leg.

[Panda]

Thats one thing that worries me about Thailand. The use of toxic and carcinogenic chemicals in food from fruit and veges to meat.

Preparation is something you can have some control over, but even perfectly good looking food bought fresh in the market may have hidden harmful chemicals.