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SAN JOSE, Antique – Stressing that “food safety is a public concern,” the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of Antique called for the regulation of itinerant street vendors selling food outside school premises.
SP member Egidio Elio, chairperson of the Committee on Education, Health, Sanitation, and Social Services, said a pro-active measure must ensure food safety in schools.
In his proposed ordinance, ambulant and street food vendors shall be prohibited from selling food in school canteens and within school premises.
It is imperative that the children’s welfare should be given paramount consideration, Elio stressed.
“A simple food contamination could give a person gastroenteritis that is why we need to have a legislative measure to safeguard children from food poisoning,” he explained.
Meanwhile, SP member Errol Santillan pointed out that not all schools have canteens and a lot of children buy from ambulant vendors outside school premises.
The proposed ordinance also urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to include food safety in the basic education curriculum to raise the level of consciousness of schoolchildren on the importance of food safety.
The SP plans to invite local DepEd officials to find out how schools in the province implement their respective health policies and food safety guidelines. (PIA-Antique/PN)
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