In the UK and Singapore you can see hygiene ratings on the rstaurants and the food kiosks in food courts. What about China?
The Chinese markets in Wuhan were seen on video in March 2020 showing caged live animals, cooked animals, and crowds of keen shoppers marching along narrow outdoor aisles. The wild animals such as bats are caught in the wild. Why is this continuing, or returning, after the Coronavirus scare shut the Wuhan live animal market?
Let's leave aside the question of whether one should eat a dog or meat at all. Let's look at how meat eaters as well as vegetarians are thinking, and how the sellers are appealing to them, and running their businesses.
Why Buy Wild Food?
Why were and are the Chinese still buying wild food. It isn't just that traditional medicine used natural products and they don't know about modern medicine.
Factory and Fish Farms - Good or Bad?
More recently we, the public, have been taught that caged , and crowded poultry in factory farms is bad. Also fishes bred for food are not as good as salmon in the wild. Many people still believe this, in the USA, UK and elsewhere. However, it is time for a re-think.
Virus Spread
We now know, or think we know, that viruses can spread from birds such as poultry and ducks to other animals. Eating monkeys and bats can subject you to risks.
What About Food Inspectors?
What do food inspectors do? The old system which established food inspectors for kosher and later halal food were an early form of hygiene checks. Before classifying food as fit for humans, fit for animals, fit for plant fertiliser, the inspector would check the signs of worms and decay (and bullets or arrows). Then extra checks were made on the soft parts, especially the lungs.
Now we can understand that an inspection of an animal can show that it is diseased inside.
Wild Animals and Fish Problems
the problem with wild food is that nobody checks it before selling it to you. The theory is that in a factory farm, they either have an onsite regular inspector. And/or the local health authority sends out isnpectors.
Inspector Supply
This relies on three factors. Your budget must allow for training and pay for enough inspectors to visit enough premises sufficiently frequently. The inspector must be well paid so that you don't have a shortage of inspectors seeking other jobs. He must not be susceptible to bribes.
Toastmasters Talk On Singapore Modernising Hawker Centres
I went to a Toastmasters International talk about the origins of the Singaporean hawker centres. The speech gave the most useful and intersting information. I think I was theevaluator, and because it gave lots of information that speech got my vote. If I remember rightly, which is unlikely, the speaker had the best slides, but was a studious introvert, and spoke quietly and hesistantly, needing to follow the progress of the slides. I think the winner of the ribbon for best speaker went to another livelier speech. However, the story of the origins of the hawker centres stayed with me.
Causes of Poisoning
The imporant point was that the authorities of the day discovered that the old hawker centres were riddled with rats and cockroaches, hard to keep clean, serving staff were untrained. The result was underpaid staff, cheated customers, language misunderstandings from customers not getting what they thought they had ordered. Mixing dried and cooked meat caused food poisoning. So did frequent cases of food poisoning.caused by contaminated ice. In India and Russia the internet has revealed, and poisonous alcohol..
Singapore's Experience of Modernising Markets
Some of the Singapore listeners to a talk about Hawker Centres might have thought, who cares about the history of hawker centres? But now that talk seems terribly relevant.
What lessons have I learned from reading elsewhere about food hygiene. Every time there is a major outbreak of food poisoning (one or two notable cases in the UK and Singapore of bride and groom and a hundred or more wedding guests being affected).
What Can Governments Do
Build new, clean food courts.
Move the old businesses into the new premises or demand to know how they are earning a living, to ensure they are not setting up unhygienic fly by night stalls elsewhere.
Offer incentives such as free or low rent to get the sellers started in the new premises.
Offer training.
Make display of hygiene ratings mandatory. (Otherwise those with a high rating display it. Those with a low rating don't.)
Insist that kiosks display pictures and prices of food.
Inform the public.
What Can Customers Do?
What can you do to protect yourself?
Check restaurant hygience ratings. If a kiosk or restaurant has a low rating, ask them what was the problem.
Contaminated Ice In Your Drinks
One cause at a wedding was the re-used of ice. Ice used to transport uncooked fish was sold to the barman as fresh ice for use in drinks.
Investigations
A check by the authorities of what people ate and drank often finds the cause. Cases have included contaminated ice, poisonous shellfish, meat left out in heat too long on a buffet, and cheap alcohol containing
Some essentials of food preparation:
Food such as as vegetables and meat should be covered, especially at night when you are not around to shoo away animals and insects nor kill them or frighten them off with your movements and noise.
Why cover? Dustbins should have lides, preferably attached so the lids are self closing and not lost or forgotten in a far coerner.
Why Cover Food Day And Night?
To keep off flies and pigions and rats and rodents such as mice and even cats. And lizards. Why? Animals, reptiles and insects bring dirty feet and dirty furry bodies and disasease ridden mouths, and nibbble, claw, and urinate or poo after and during eating.
You also get dying and dead animals. Dead animals decay and drop discgusting bits. Dead animals and insects attract others which come to eat them.
Why Heat Meat
Why heat meat? And vegetables? It kills off some of the dangerous items. Why wash? It removes organic and chemical matter.
(You also wash your hands whilst cleaning the vegetables.)
Dangers of Washing Uncooked Meat
You can spread spray from the uncooked chicken over work surfaces and cooked items, if the cooked items are uncovered.
So what did Singapore Do?
They completely razed the old dirty and overcrowded wet markets and hawker centres. they built brand new ones with easy to clean surfaces, clean new equipment, wide aisles for queues, fixed seating.
Modernising
Running water and electricity were provided.Staff wensre trained before the business had a license to open. Inspectors were established with the power to close premises.
I must say that when I see 'pop-up' restaurants and kitchens, for exhibitions, in fields, I wonder whether they have proper saitary arrangements.
What other common dangers are there?
Storage & Buffets
Food kept too long. In the UK some areas the kitchen are required to clear out uneaten food, clean the ktichen last thing at night, and start again next day. I remember arriving at Swanwick Writers Summer School, held every year in August (2020 in doubt).
Wuhan Stories
Videos I saw recently said
1 The old Wuhan markets had been closed.
2 Markets in Wuhan or elsewhere were carrying on as before, serving wild and uninspected food .
What is needed?
1 Rebuilt new markets. (If they can build a hospital in a week, they can do the same with a food market.)
2 Relocated sellers must be trained in hygiene.
3 A certification system must show the inspection of premises and license of the hygiene trained owner and/or manager. Onsite inspection until all the new shops are occupied
Informing and Involving The Public
Publicity for the newer safer markets.
A reporting system for the public to send photos and videos of any infractions, if necessary anonymously - with immediate response to reports.
On the web, whatsapp and facebook daily reporting of praise and blame of food selling places.
Who Should Do This?
Individual governments. Singapore can lead. Wuhan can lead and follow.
It has been done before successfully. It can be done again toimprove safety and hygience worldwide.
Worldwide WHO
What about WHO - world health organization? They should be involved.
British NHS
The idea for the British National Health service was set up when it was discovered that the army could not find enough healthy recruits. Then the idea expanded to free health care for all.
Reasons for that success.
1 Free health service gets votes from the masses.
2 Helping the needy appeals to the idealistic young.
3 Helping the sick and handicapped appeals to the frail old.
4 The rich support it and gain kudos.
5 The poor gain better health and teeth.
6 Everybody who is working is forced to save and insure.
7 The government has a healthy workforce and army recruits.
8 The sick do not infect the healthy.
What can you do? First, spread this message. Secondly, investigate and add helpful, hopeful facts.
Thirdly, as Gandhi said, be the change you wish to see. Take action.
Useful Websites
Poisoning problems
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7591297/Caterers-fined-200-000-newlyweds-FIFTY-wedding-guests-food-poisoning-hog-roast.html
HAWKER CENTRES, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_centre
SINGAPORE HYGIENE RATINGS
https://www.sfa.gov.sg/food-retail/food-hygiene-recognition-scheme/food-hygiene-recognition-scheme
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS GUIDELINES FROM SINGAPORE
https://www.nea.gov.sg/docs/default-source/our-services/guidelines-for-ordering-catered-meals-for-functions-and-events.pdf
CHINA BANS WILDLIFE SALES
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/china-bans-trade-consumption-of-wild-animals-due-to-coronavirus
About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite post.
