Cautious Living

(Taken from MM 7 Oct 2010 to share with those who might have missed it)

FOOD SAFETY

Eat and be worried

Time to change the Malaysian eating and food preparation habits to address growing health issues

Much of the urban population on most days of the week, consume food at outside eateries, Depending on the budget, most get their meals from hawker stalls, coffee shops, food courts or restaurants. My question simply is – how safe is the food?

It is an urban trend to eat out although time is wasted in traffic jams as demanding working life does not make it easy to cook one’s own meals. So, most depend on food readily served at eateries.

Let’s ask a few questions about the quality of food we consume, using a points system to score for the quality of our daily food.

Just think of the cooking oil, utensils and crockery used; water to prepare food and drinks; ingredients such as salt, seasoning, sugar, spices and noodles; whether the vegetables, meat, fish and eggs are fresh and free of contaminants and toxins; packing materials for takeaways; outlet’s external environment; hygiene and health of food handlers and the cooks; and expiry dates