Bacolod City (CNN Philippines) — The office of the Department of Health in Western Visayas (DOH-Region 6) urged health and education officials in Bacolod City to conduct massive inspections of school canteens and sidewalk eateries located near schools to avoid cases of food poisoning.
Dr. Renilyn Reyes of DOH-6 said on Wednesday (July 15) that the Department of Education and the City Health Office (CHO) of Bacolod should conduct an inspection drive daily to ensure that food available to students would be clean and safe.
Massive inspections should not come after a food poisoning outbreak but should come before so there would be enough time to avoid it, Reyes said.
She said the Bacolod City government should check the sanitary permits of school canteens and cafeterias.
Cafeterias and canteens must have valid sanitary permits, and those preparing and selling food should have complied with the health checklist, Reyes said.
Dr. Carmela Gensoli, officer-in-charge of Bacolod CHO, reported on Wednesday that two people who ate in one of the cafeterias in the southern part of Bacolod suffered from stomach pain on Tuesday night (July 13).
