Warning against risky food menus during Songkran period



BANGKOK: -- The Department of Disease Control has warned people to avoid eating 10 menus of Thai food during the Songkran festival which it said posing high risk of falling sick from food poisoning.

Its warning came after statistics in the first three months of this year showed 30,000 have fallen sick to food poisoning, while 200,000 others sick from diarrhea.

Statistics from the department’s Bureau of Epidemiology revealed that from January 1-March 29 this year, there were 30,259 food poisoning patients, and 247,212 diarrhea patients with three deaths.

While in 2014, there were 134,516 food poisoning patients with one death, and 1,106,900 diarrhea patients with eight deaths.

With expected rise in patients of both food poisoning and diarrhea sickness, it advise people to take great care in eating and drinking during the hot season or during Songkran festival as there is high potential risk of suffering from digestive disease.

The Bureau of Epidemiology then outlined 10 Thai foods that people must take great care, or should avoid as these menus carry high risk to digestive sickness.

They are raw beef salad, spicy raw shrimp salad, spicy raw cockle salad, fried rice with crab meat, desserts with coconut cream, steamed chicken rice, fermented rice flour noodles or Kanom jeen, papaya salad, vegetable salad, and unclean ice cubes.

It also said the people should strictly observe these rules before eating to avoid food contamination. Wash your hands, eat cooked and heated food, and use serving spoons.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/warning-against-risky-food-menus-during-songkran-period


-- Thai PBS 2015-04-09

"papaya salad"

That's Som Tam. How can you ask Thai people not to eat Som Tam during sonkran? I suppose the safest way is to eat it only if you make it yourself?

Why during Songkran do these foods become dangerous? Seems like 30,000 people must have been pure unlucky between Jan and Mar then.

"papaya salad"

That's Som Tam. How can you ask Thai people not to eat Som Tam during sonkran? I suppose the safest way is to eat it only if you make it yourself?

I think they mean som tum pu - which is made with those small black raw crabs. They often cause illness including hepatitis to farang.

yea, the "during songkran" makes no sense. Sure, good to always be careful in hot weather, but it has been hot before songkran, and will surely be after as well..
When it comes to Khao man Gai I would personally believe it to be safer to chose fried chicken instead of steamed - I have no scientific claims for that though, only my gut feeling.. Many of the street eateries in my area only serve from 11 am to 3 pm during lunch hours. And I'm pretty sure huge batches are made in the morning just before serving time.

It's also hard to generalize Som tam. Som tam bpuu plaa raa? Sure, that might not be the best idea. Crabs and rotten fish laying around all day does seem a bit hard on some peoples stomachs. But somtam thai or some other middle-country style of the dish with peanuts or small dried shrimps instead of crab and plaa raa, that doesn't seem too bad to me. Papaya and carrots are fresh vegetables/fruits sure. But they are usually shredded on the spot when ordering and not laying around whole day. Turkish kebabs on Chatuchak seems more risky in my eyes, but what do I know. All I know is I usually don't get diarrhea - that is as long as I don't drink too much Saeng som or eat too spicy food (and that can hardly be compared with real medical deadly diarrhea..)

So folks Thai's are promoting eating at Mickey D's

I was down for a day because of khao man gai. When I told taxi driver why I was in hospital he just laughed.

yea, the "during songkran" makes no sense. Sure, good to always be careful in hot weather, but it has been hot before songkran, and will surely be after as well..
When it comes to Khao man Gai I would personally believe it to be safer to chose fried chicken instead of steamed - I have no scientific claims for that though, only my gut feeling.. Many of the street eateries in my area only serve from 11 am to 3 pm during lunch hours. And I'm pretty sure huge batches are made in the morning just before serving time.

It's also hard to generalize Som tam. Som tam bpuu plaa raa? Sure, that might not be the best idea. Crabs and rotten fish laying around all day does seem a bit hard on some peoples stomachs. But somtam thai or some other middle-country style of the dish with peanuts or small dried shrimps instead of crab and plaa raa, that doesn't seem too bad to me. Papaya and carrots are fresh vegetables/fruits sure. But they are usually shredded on the spot when ordering and not laying around whole day. Turkish kebabs on Chatuchak seems more risky in my eyes, but what do I know. All I know is I usually don't get diarrhea - that is as long as I don't drink too much Saeng som or eat too spicy food (and that can hardly be compared with real medical deadly diarrhea..)

Surely eating the menu (never mind eating ten menus) is not recommend at any time.

I think, I stick to eating meals.

i would suspect that these are a ll food items that do not travel well and tend to go off during the car ride upcountry.

A colleague's wife used to be constantly ill from eating raw clams, sometimes quite seriously. I once asked her why she continued to do so, she said "I like them, they're delicious!"

Please ask the coffee and drinks makers to identify whether their ice is clean or not. It is a bit tough for us the consumer to identify prior to imbibing!!

Apparently it's ok to consume "unclean ice cubes" again when songkran is over? Lol

Surely eating the menu (never mind eating ten menus) is not recommend at any time.

I think, I stick to eating meals.

Even if they are washed thoroughly first...?

Why during Songkran do these foods become dangerous? Seems like 30,000 people must have been pure unlucky between Jan and Mar then.

I think what they are saying is that having looked at the stats from last year and then Jan-March, they see in increase in incidents of food poisoning, and so be careful from now on, and since Songkran is about now, start during Songkran.

And maybe more people eat out at this time too.

So I can no longer eat. I am really going to get crabby because when I am hungry I get crabby . The only place I have gotten food poisoning was McDonald's.

Maybe the should just go to the night markets and make the vendors clean there tables. Relying on rain to do your cleaning is not a good idea.

Thai's to not think you need to refrigerate food. Many of these vendors use food from the day before that has set out for many many hours before they reheat and hand it to you. Unless you can watch them cook it you are taking some chances.

now I know why at 3 am I wake up and run to the toilet, My Papaya salad . but it tastes so good !!

thais most favorite dishes banned ? looooooooooooool

i guess they take gladly the diariah that comes with it

party on

food warnings must apply all the time not just for festivals bad hygene accounts for a lot of problems especially applies to street vendors .

Reminds me of the time my gf and I ate fish cakes along Jomtien. We almost faught to the death on who was going to use the washroom. Going from both...

You get the picture.

What a waste of time this press release is

The cannot actual think Thai ladies are gonna pass on somtum

Papaya salad, som tum ?? Wishful thinking. Try stopping my wife from her som tum and kow neow. She'll take a few of your teeth first.

And with the raw clam salad, that can kill you at any time of the year. Neither refrigeration or good food handling can stop SEAFOOD TOXIN POISONING from decking you, particularly in a raw clam or prawn salad. It went very close to killing me in Cha Am last year. Will never look at seafood the same again.

Do a Wiki search on it. Enlightening.

eat fish

its good for you

NOT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdoVgveiZO0

sold everywhere

A colleague's wife used to be constantly ill from eating raw clams, sometimes quite seriously. I once asked her why she continued to do so, she said "I like them, they're delicious!"

Not much can be done about logic like that.