Staying vigilant: Aisha and Yusrezan both stressed the importance of consumer food safety.
Staying vigilant: Aisha and Yusrezan both stressed the importance of consumer food safety.
JOHOR BARU: The fatal food poisoning case in Selangor serves as a strong reminder to the public of the importance of food safety.
While the incident will not deter them from eating outside or at events, they are now more conscious of consuming food prepped ahead of time and stored for hours.
Student management assistant Aisha Mohd Yusof, 37, said she constantly reminds her students and two children to check and smell the food they bring home before consuming it.
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“I told them that this is vital, especially for packed food that was prepared hours ago.
“Sometimes the food is fine when it is just cooked but turns bad after hours of storage in containers,” she said in an interview.
She recalled that her children had once suffered from food poisoning after attending a potluck event.
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“No matter how hard we try, we may still fall victim to such unwanted incidents, so we must continue to be very cautious with what we eat,” she said.
Tan Kian Hui, 31, said he took the issue of food safety seriously even before the recent tragedy in Gombak.
“The case did not make me panic but it is indeed a strong reminder of how dangerous food poisoning can be.
“We need to be extra careful at all times as this is something that could happen to anyone, anytime,” said Tan, a homestay owner.Retiree K. Anbarasan, 67, said everyone should play a proactive role in preventing something like this from happening.
“If we feel that there is something wrong with the food, we should inform the restaurant owner and make sure they do not serve it to others.
“Similarly, if we feel sick after eating food from any event, we should inform the organiser or those involved in preparing the food. This could at least prevent others from consuming the food and suffering from serious food poisoning,” he said.
Meanwhile, Johor Food Truck Association adviser Yusrezan Samsuri said it is crucial for those in the food and beverage industry to have the Food Safety Information System of Malaysia (FoSIM) certificate from the Health Ministry.
“When such a major food poisoning case surfaces, it is cause for concern. In order (for consumers) to protect themselves, there are precautions they can take and should be aware of.
“The most important thing is to confirm that the restaurant they purchased food from has a FoSIM certificate, which the business should display.
“It’s also important to ensure that the people preparing the food have attended food handling courses and taken a typhoid vaccine jab at least once every three years,” he said.Yusrezan also urged the public to keep abreast of the Health Ministry’s Facebook page, which contains important information about food safety.
