Nearly 80 percent of employees at convenience stores and coffee shops do not wash or disinfect their hands before making coffee for customers, the Consumers’ Foundation said in a survey published yesterday.
The survey, conducted from March 6 to March 26 at 192 chain convenience stores and coffee shops nationwide, investigated whether employees wore a mask and washed hands before making coffee, and whether alcohol-based disinfectants were provided for customer use, the foundation said.
In situations where two employees are working, one as a cashier and the other making coffee, 22.7 percent of them washed or disinfected their hands before making coffee, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Consumers’ Foundation
In 84 percent of cases with two workers, both wore masks, while neither wore a mask in 9 percent of cases, in 5 percent only the cashier wore a mask and in 2 percent only the coffee maker did, it said.
In situations where two employees worked interchangeably, 19.5 percent washed or disinfected their hands before making coffee, it said, adding that mask wearing in those scenarios was: both wearing, 79.3 percent; neither wearing, 8.5 percent; only the main cashier wearing, 7.3 percent; and only the main coffee maker wearing 4.9 percent.
The hygiene practice that needs to be improved most is when only one employee is on duty, as a mere 16.7 percent of employees who worked alone washed or disinfected their hands before making coffee, and only 68.2 percent of them wore a mask, the foundation said.
Forty-one percent of the 132 chain convenience stores it inspected provided alcohol-based disinfectant for customers, it said.
The top chain for disinfectant was 7-Eleven, with 70 percent of its stores providing it for customers, followed by FamilyMart (22 percent), Hi-Life (18 percent) and OK Mart (17 percent), it said.
Chain coffee shops did not perform as well, with only 32 percent of the 60 locations the foundation inspected providing disinfectant, it said.
The best-performing brand was 85°C, with 64 percent of its stores providing disinfectant, followed by Dante Coffee (50 percent), Louisa Coffee (28 percent), Ikari Coffee (25 percent) and Starbucks Coffee (22 percent), the survey showed.
The government should roll out stricter measures to ensure that the food and beverage industry practices proper methods to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as well as conduct unscheduled inspections, the foundation said.
Businesses can put up notices to explain to customers the prevention efforts in place on the premesis, which would boost confidence in the hygiene situation, it said.
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