Complicated problems with Vietnamese street foods

It is strongly advised that you should try street foods for many good reasons. According to J. Mirobiol (2011), "street vended foods are not only appreciated for their unique flavors, convenience and the role which they play in the cultural and social heritage of societies, they have also become important and essential for maintaining the nutritional status of the populations. Besides offering business opportunities for developing entrepreneurs, the sale of street foods can make a sizeable contribution to the economies of developing countries." However, in Vietnam, street foods pose such serious problems that the government is trying to tackle with.

1. The first and foremost issue is public health risks. The first reason is that in Vietnam, the origin of food is carefully not examined so it may contain many harmful substances. Secondly, the steps of making street are often in unhygienic conditions which encourage the development of harmful bacteria causing serious health problems such as cholera or food poisoning.

http://www.tinmoi.vn

2.  Besides food safety, sanitation is also a signification problem. The sellers tend to throw waste right on the streets which not only create an ideal environment for harmful bacteria but also cause water drain. The customers also play an important part in tossing paper tissues into the ground.

Source: google image

3. Traffic congestion is the last trouble I would like to mention. In Vietnam, most vendors locate in crowded places where they can sell more products. This can lead to massive traffic jam in rush hours which not only makes the customers feeling annoyed eating next to the jungle of vehicles but also makes the drivers irritated.

http://www.baogiaothong.vn

Reference:

1) Microbio, I. J. (2011). Street Vended Food in Developing World: Hazard Analyses.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3209856/

2) Street foods. (n.d.). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
http://www.fao.org/fcit/food-processing/street-foods/en/

Ramadan month: A concern of street food safety

Standing a chance of going for a walk and enjoying appetizing street foods will really make you on cloud nine. Although there always exists a concern of hygiene, people from time to time can't help giving them a try. In Indonesia, this matter draws a lot of attention when it comes to Ramadan month. As you know, Indonesia is regarded as the largest Muslim nation in the world with 86 percent of population practise Islam. During that month, people have to fast during the daytime, and end a day with fine celebratory meals. Ramadan month, despite considerably contributing to economic development, poses a threat on people's health. It is in the Iftar right after this month that a great wealth of money is spent on food. And, the likely scenario is that Indonesian will be on the verge of being affected by poisonous dishes.

Muslims around the world are fasting in the month of Ramadan. EPA/Bagus Indahono

In a video named Street food safety worrries Indonesians, the streets are crowded with residents and hawkers. The foods are all colorful, which raises the suspicion of clothes dye. Some vendors utilize that kind of chemicals to draw the attention of consumers without taking the society health into consideration. It is alleged by the Indonesian Consumers Organisation that 12 percent of cases in Jakarta are found expired or gone off. That fine is imposed does not prevent the phenomenon.

Colorful street food in Ramanda month 

Therefore, we are recommended to protect ourselves by some small tips provided by Agness Walewinder in 5 Steps To Eat Safely From Street Vendors:

- Dont't drink the water from unknown source.

- Avoid raw vegetable.

- Observe the food in the process of being prepared and cooked. 

- Select busy street vendors.

- Pay a close attention to the tidiness of the warung, cooks or staff.

In conclusion, i still hold the opinion that street food play an important part in this day and age. Not only does it create a myriad of jobs for local inhabitants, but it also serves the function as a delight of people. In addition, it is also street food that show us a lot about a specific culture. 

REFERENCES 

1. Agness, W. (2014, April 23). 5 steps to eat safely from street vendors. eTramping. Retrieved November 3, 2015 from http://etramping.com/eat-safely-from-street-vendors/

2. Devianti, F. (2015, June 19). Food safety a concern as Indonesia observes fasting month. Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved November 3, 2015 from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/food-safety-a-concern-as/1927554.html

3. Street food safety worries Indonesias. (2013, Augus 3). Retrieved November 3, 2015 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wbcq-QojGwk

Sugariness-Enjoy It Healthily

In Philippines, you can try various kinds of sweet street foods. However, those attractive snacks can have bad effects on your health. Let's see what will happen if you express an overblown love for the country's sweet dishes!


1,Tooth Decay

Here comes a shocking fact: Most of the Filipinos have dental health problems. About 85% Filipinos are diagnosed with tooth decay and only 30% of the citizens see the dentists regularly. 

 

www.shutterstock.com/video/search/?query=tooth%20decay&ref_context=related_term



2,Obesity

Over 23% Filipino adults are overweight and about 6% are obese. FAO (food and agriculture organization) said “In Philippines, the prevalence of overweight people is expected to increase significantly by 2015.” The reason is that Filipino add a large amount of salt and sugar into their diet. It can be said that, sweet foods beautifies the Filipino culture but defaces the Filipino people.

 

www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/10/20/1382165/phl-leads-countries-highest-obesity-levels

3, Hypertension

The fact is, enjoying Taho everyday like a Filipino might leads to serious cardiovascular diseases. DOH (Development of Health) diagnosed hypertension from about 80% of the Filipinos. As hypertension is hidden killer, people barely notice it until it get worse. Each year, more than 276 Filipino die every single day due to heart disease. An adequate amount of sugar is good for your health as long as you have the content under control.

https://philippinetrip2012.wordpress.com/category/group-two/page/2/

The Philippines is absolutely a wonderful country with a wonderful street cuisine, but your trip will be whole if you can enjoy it healthily. Just one thing for us to remember: Fun and Save!


References

1. Ong, W. T. (2012). Top 10 health agendas of the Philippines. Life Style.

www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/01/11/1277538/87.4-pinoys-suffering-tooth-decay
2. Crisostomo, S. (2014). 87.4% of Pinoys suffering from tooth decay. Philstar Global.

www.philstar.com/health-and-family/2015/10/27/1515383/more-1b-people-expected-have-hypertension-2025
3. Torres, T. (2014). Phl leads countries with highest obesity levels. Philstar Global.

www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/10/20/1382165/phl-leads-countries-highest-obesity-levels