Only three of 30 online lunchbox vendors and vending machines passed an initial random hygiene inspection, but all 30 passed a second inspection after being given a grace period to improve, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday.
The inspection of 27 online lunch box vendors and three lunchbox vending machines was based on the following: food vendor registration, employee hygiene, handling of ingredients, workplace hygiene, and equipment and utensil hygiene.
Only three passed all five categories, while the other 27 were given a grace period to make changes before the next inspection, Food and Drug Division official Chiu Wen-ping (邱雯萍) said.
Half of those who failed the tests were not registered; 34 percent failed employee hygiene tests (a majority did not have health exams or did not wear proper work attire), 28 percent did not pass equipment and utensil hygiene tests; 19 percent failed in ingredients handling (such as placing ingredients on the floor); and another 19 percent failed in workplace hygiene, Chiu said.
People should remember five principles to prevent food poisoning — wash hands thoroughly when cooking, use fresh ingredients, use separate utensils and containers for raw and cooked food, cook food thoroughly, and store food at low temperatures, the department said.
The food inspection results and an online recipe book teaching people how to properly cook 60 dishes easily can be found at the department’s food safety open data Web site, https://health.gov.taipei/default.aspx?tabid=837.
In related news, the department said that after ordering Abbott Taiwan (亞培台灣) to remove six types of problematic dietary supplements by 5pm on Sunday, a random inspection after 5pm that day found six cans of one of the products being sold at a Wellcome Supermarket in Taipei.
The department said that it would impose a fine of between NT$30,000 and NT$100,000 after determining responsibility.
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