By Dilanthi Jayamanne
The Public Health department of the Colombo Municipal Council is scheduled to commence registering wayside lunch parcel sellers in the city from next week.
Chief of the Public Health Department Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam said yesterday they expected over 250 such lunch vendors to apply for registration from next month.
Registrations will take place for at least two months to ensure that all get their registrations. This is being done to ensure the safety and hygienic conditions of the food that is brought into the city by lunch packet sellers, he said.
Forms would be given to be filled by the MoH of the area, who would have to attest the safety of the food that is being prepared. The vendors would have to keep the registration card which would be issued to them subsequently to produce it to customers if there were complaints.
The PHD received over 105 applicants for registering initially. They were briefed on the hygienic conditions that need to be maintained when preparing food, the quality of the raw materials being used and the cleanliness. The food should also be sold within four hours of it being prepared.
The lunch should be packed in food grade polythene and packeted with white demi paper. Dr. Kariyawasam said they would be banned from using regifoam, newspaper or any other plastic containers which are health hazards – especially if the hot food is served into regifoam or a plastic type containers. He warned that the chemicals contained in newsprint, plastic and regifoam could cause serious diseases.
He said the demi paper covered parcels would have to be sealed with the place or name of the person responsible for preparing it, the date and the time of packing.
The food handlers of these places which prepare food and send it into the city would be issued an identity card later on. They would have to undergo health checks with laboratory testing before being given the identity card, Dr. Kariyawasam added.
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