Thailand's Filthy Fresh Food Markets

[george]

Most fresh food markets fail to meet hygiene standards

Drainage, storage need improvement

Only 104 of the 2,000 fresh food markets in the country meet the hygiene standards set by the Public Health Ministry as far as cleanliness, sanitation and freshness of products was concerned.

However, the level of chemical contamination was found to have been drastically reduced, according to Dr Supachai Kunaratanaphruk, secretary-general of the Food and Drug Administration.

Dr Supachai said most of these sub-standard markets were located within the city area, and many would have to improve their water drainage, food selection and storage systems in order to meet the ministry's health standard requirements.

The initiative to standardise fresh food markets and the products they sell is part of the ministry's food safety project which began with a campaign to end the use of six chemical substances _ salbutamol, borax, formalin, bleach, pesticides and anti-fungal chemicals in vegetables and meat products.

The ministry's monthly survey of major fresh food markets in the country has shown that the level of salbutamol (a sympathomimetic agent, used as a bronchodilator, especially in the treatment of asthma), often added to make meat products appear red and fresh, was down from 96% in March to only 10.7% in October.

The ministry survey also showed that the use of borax, a chemical used to make fish-balls crispy and increase elasticity, had been reduced from 42% to just 0.55%.

In addition to upgrading the fresh food markets, Dr Supachai said the FDA also plans to carry out regular checks on the quality of food sold at sidewalks and in night markets.

Another major project to be launched in the coming year would concern the monitoring of the quality of food products sold in and around schools throughout the country, Dr Supachai said.

``We have to educate and inform both the consumers and the vendors of the importance of clean and healthy food that is free from contamination,'' he said.

Along with the controls, the Public Health Ministry would have to also raise awareness of the food consumption behaviour so that there is more caution against consumption of food products that could lead to cancer and heart disease, Dr Supachai said.

--Bangkok Post 2003-12-09

[simcity]

Fresh food market are the best , I go there and buy fresh fishes / prawns / duck fillets and good vegetables, they order for me some import vegetable .

You have eyes , use it !

If you buy pork look for the shop with refrigerated unit .

Been sick like a dog with a fish bough in a Hypermarket once ! only by salads from there plus all other utility good .

[Dr Hiram P. Klonky]

Appearance is everything. We regularly buy vegetables from our local fresh market in Tanyaburi and food appears fresher than that often found in supermarkets (and far cheaper!) But how can we be sure by appearances alone? While the fresh market obviously lacks the hygiene standards of supermarkets employing as they do a small army of moppers and scrubbers (usually where you want to be!) can we be certain that behind the triple stapled vacuum packed multi-sealed veg in the supermarket stands acceptable levels of hygiene? Just a thought!

[brubo1]

Shop at Klongtoey all the time. Great variety and prices. Food is definitely fresher than at supermarkets.

However, I do sometimes wonder why I don't get sick when I look at the food handling standards there. There is no shortage of rats (not for sale) either.

[Rolling Stone]

Would not touch anything from a Thai market. I buy everything from the grocery at Chit Lom where you can by pesticide free vegetables imported fruits and meats. Sure the price is a little higher but thats a small price to pay for my longterm health. I don't even drink bottled soda, beer etc from Thailand nor would I use ice anywhere. Its Evian, Perrier because I know its bottled outside of Thailand and things I bring in from farangland or its nothing. I see people drinking Thai bottled water, beer soda etc and just cannot believe the risk people are willing to take. Where do you think the water used to make Coke, beer etc from? The thing that really blows my mind is watching people in restaurants say they want bottled water then pour it in a glass of ice????? Where in the world you think they get the water to make the ice? But thats just me, to each his own.

Keep it real!

[taxexile]

i eat at street food stalls and i eat at expensive and not so expensive restaurants . i buy from local thai markets and i buy from modern supermarkets, i drink plastic bottled water and i have ice in my drinks.

maybe i'm just lucky, but i've never had stomach problems here and i dont see thais falling down sick in the street either.

i worry more about chemical additives and pesticides than i do about food hygiene.

[Rolling Stone]

Thats what I am talking about taxexile the chemicals etc the LONGTERM health effects. I think its not such a coincidence that many longterm farangs die of liver cancer.

Keep it real!

[taxexile]

anybody know of any suppliers of organic meats and vegetables?????

[Rolling Stone]

Can check the suppliers of vegetables for you this evening taxexile am headed out shopping. The organic meats is a bust but you can get imported meat and fish its more expensive but well worth the price down the road IMHO. At the end of the day its not much more when you think of it as so little meat actually goes into Thai dishes. I still find myself spending far less for groceries than I do in the west.

Keep it real!

[taxexile]

my wife used to work for a large european chemical company with a big presence in thailand.

among other products they were into were pesticides and fertilisers.

they were heavily promoted with all kinds of incentives for the buyers.

the company would regularly get representations from farmers organisations representing farmers suffering all kinds of health problems that they put down to handling and using the products.

needless to say the company were not very sympathetic to these claims.

it was my wifes belief that many of the products promoted and sold here were deemed unsuitable (i.e. not certified) for european use.

this was over ten years ago.

i dont know if things have changed much.

having seen the amounts of stuff sprayed onto the fruit that is grown on samui and elsewhere around thailand i guess they still use lots of stuff, but as to the dangers....... depends who you believe.

[KevinN]

We do buy at our local fresh market,both vegs.and meat,but only live shrimps and fish.

Then when we get it home,my wife washes all vegs in clorox and bottle water and rinses in bottle water and washes all meats in water, salt and vinegar before storing in the reefer.

But it is the food shops and resturants that I find so nasty,mangy dogs under the tables,mangy cats on the tables and you know they are also on the cooking surfaces,servers with a snotty nose,wiping it on the back of their hand and then serving your grub. ######.

And the food carts,sitting by the curb,cars going by ,stirring up the dust that contains lungers,dog shit and snot that has dried,been ground into dust and settles on the food.people shit on the ground behind the building,flies all over it or on your food,wonder anyone lives to be old enough to get a drivers license.

I got colera while in Viet Nam from the ice that we used to put in our warm baum ou bah.

But what the ######,you only live once.

[Supersurch]

Kevin,

You made it sound really terrible...but how true you are.

SS

[dkstoney]

I just wonder why if so many people are worried about germs and pesticides, dried lungers and dogshit dust stirred up by cars, why are you even here? Don't people spit on the ground where you come from? Don't dogs shit in your country? Just wash the ###### things when you take them home and peel them.

I can't believe someone would wash their veggies in clorox. How about baking soda and vinegar? Your ammonia levels must be through the roof!

[taxexile]

no point in worrying about the dried lungers,dogshit and dust stirred up by the cars.

we are breathing it in anyway. a bit more on the food wont make any difference apart from strengthening our immune systems even more.

if you are not exposed to these things a bit, then you will have no resistance against them.

so breathe deeply and eat your greens.

you know its doing you good.

[meemiathai]

I'm sure that there are people out here who are aware enough of personal health and hygiene in Thailand that they use plenty of alcohol and burning cigarettes to kill the germs they have taken in!

Don't ever eat outside! I can assure you that the kitchens in the restaurants will never meet your hygiene standards! Not even the big ones!

Don't breathe! Don't go into the streets!

Researches have found: The best way to live a life is to stay in an incubator for good. That will give you long life.

For me, I'm glad that I can enjoy sitting together with the Thai people in Issan and share the same dishes with our hands. Hmm...Yummy!