Gaane cmte moves to strengthen food safety measures in Oro

THE City Council committee on health and sanitation and health insurance chaired by Councilor Maria Lourdes S. Gaane on Thursday thoroughly discussed the Food Safety Act of 2013, an act to strengthen the food safety regulatory system in the country to protect consumer health and facilitate market access of local foods and food products, and for other purposes.

During the meeting, Sergio Ramon Bautista, Sanitary Inspection and chief of the Environment Sanitation Division of City Health Office informed the committee that CHO is conducting free trainings on Proper Food Handling but only to those who handle food, and not to managers.

He added that CHO has accredited Food Shot to conduct trainings on proper food handling.

Bautista also informed the committee that CHO conducts food handling seminars for street food vendors supported by Bottom-Up-Budgeting (BUB) of the city.

For her part, Hannah Tiro of the Culinary Institute of Cagayan de Oro (CIC) manifested that some of their students who underwent on-the-job- training (OJT) in some hotels in the city, noticed that there are no standards observed in proper food handling in some hotels.

She further informed the committee that the school is requesting to be recognized by the city to conduct trainings on food handling.

Councilor Gaane said she will schedule a meeting with Dr. Fe Bongcas of the CHO, sanitary inspectors and the CIC to discuss further the intention of CIC for accreditation.