Check hygiene! Dajia Mazu Festival: Eat Healthy

The nine-day and eight-night Mazu pilgrimage procession in Dajia involves hundreds of thousands of people. As food is related to public health and hygiene safety, the Dajia District Health Center has actively carried out food spot checks and food hygiene seminars in the past few days to prevent Mazu from returning from the pilgrimage procession, and has strictly required caterers to pay special attention to hygiene.

In order to prevent food hygiene problems during the Dajia Mazu procession, the Dajia District Office has held food hygiene seminars in recent days. (Photo provided by Taiwan Good News)

Over the past hundred years, hundreds of thousands of tourists have flocked to the Dajia area for the pilgrimage to Mazu. In order to prevent food poisoning, the Taichung City Health Bureau has instructed the Dajia Health Center to strengthen its hygiene training. The catering chefs and restaurant managers who have attended the event over the past few days have participated enthusiastically.

The health center is more cautious about food hygiene during festivals and celebrations. Recently, it jointly inspected food stalls selling hot and cold drinks on the streets of Dajia District at night. It strongly demanded that food handling at the preparation tables and sales venues, the floor be placed without dust prevention measures, tableware and rags not be kept clean, staff not wearing work clothes and hats, garbage bins not covered and waste not properly disposed of, and asked the business owners to make improvements on the spot.

Chen Shuliang, director of the health center, said that food poisoning is very scary and prevention must be strictly implemented. The cooking area and the surrounding environment within 2 meters must be kept clean, clean cloths should be prepared to wipe the utensils and tables, and the chopping boards and forks and knives for chopping raw and cooked food must be used separately. The food provided should be protected from direct sunlight and rain, and cold food should have appropriate refrigeration facilities.

Chen Shuliang said that dishes must not be placed on paper on the ground after frying and cooking, and a fine of NT$30,000 to NT$150,000 will be imposed if caught. In addition, catering chefs must wear sanitary caps or uniforms. When they mainly handle catering for more than 200 people, they should report to the health center (bureau) through their public (labor) union three days in advance. The content should include the organizer, the organizer, the location, the number of participants and the menu. To ensure the safety and hygiene of people’s food, the Municipal Health Bureau will send health inspectors to inspect restaurants and catering sites.