Food safety can we cook & develop & vote a Law in Lebanon?

Print screen of Food Safety association Lebanon NGO

I am not panicking, I am thinking how we can stop microbes, poisoning clients and people in restaurants and food places in Lebanon. Kids love to eat nuggets and Macdo Nuggets are bad?!  There is not a proper law for food safety that sets standards for  what we eat  in restaurants in Lebanon. Our dear MPs have not voted for a law for food Safety in Lebanon, I just found that late Fuleihan proposed a law, but “In 2006, the law was debated in the council of ministers and sent to parliament for further discussion but there has been no action since. ” Also, as per the Daily Star in 2012, “Future Movement MP Atef Majdalani submitted  a draft law on food safety, saying it aims to modernize a sector which has failed to keep up with modern standards.” Again, Nothing happened and a law protecting people’s life has not been “Cooked”.

I checked the Official gazette, nothing was voted and published in it since then related to food safety, so is the law sleeping in Parliament drawers, while citizens are eating “bad” and poisonous food? Food that is ‘dipped in diseases and microbes’ as yesterday’s Minister Faour Said in his press conference? Does anyone has other information ?

as for the minister Abou Faour , Is this just a flash campaign from the ministry of health, “flash” as “flash mobs” or will they continue testing “without taking “Rendez-vous” from restaurants and eating facilities? how can Inspectors for food safety not be bribed? Will the ministry publish the details of the results of all tests done? And what were they “testing”? Hygiene, microbes, salmonella?

I checked if there is Non Governmental Organisations working on the subject, I just found one called LAFS  Lebanese Association for Food Safety , they are not very active as their website is not updated and their Facebook Page is sleeping since the “Labneh scandal”,  March 27 2014 I believe, here is a print screen.

The good thing I found on their website are the description of Symptoms and illnesses even though they don’t add the sources of their information. Below is a copy paste of what is related to that.

I am repeating my self, Food Safety comes First, we need to have a proper law that regulates the tests, the “kabssets” and proper system of implementation that will penalize those who brake the law.

Again, I am repeating my last questioning post related to Roadster a place I go to a lot, what is the take of Roadster related to the chicken that failed the test? Especially that the cover page picture of Lebanese association for food safety on Facebook  shows a partnership with roadsterdiner.

My question, is food safety truly respected at roadsters or it is just a communication campaign and branding issue?

as for my credentials : a normal citizen asking for her right for proper and safe food in a country known for its restaurants and hospitality and eating services and Tabbouleh!

Rita Chemaly

Cover picture of the Lebanese Association for Food Safety partnering with Roadsterdiner taken from Facebook

Symptoms and Illnesses Staphylococcus aureus Symptoms Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea Illness Symptoms usually occur 2 to 6 hours after consumption of the contaminated food Illness is self-limiting and lasts for 24 hours   Clostridium botulinum Symptoms: Nausea, dizziness, vomiting, blurred vision, fatigue, and double vision Loss of muscle activity, slurred speech, difficult swallowing, breathing and moving limbs If left untreated, death occurs within 1-5 days from respiratory failure   Illness Symptoms start to occur 18-35 hours after the ingestion Infant botulism was associated with consuming honey Can be treated if caught early   Campylobacter jejuni Symptoms Abdominal pain/cramps Headache, Diarrhea (sometimes bloody) Nausea and sometimes vomiting Fever, chills   Illness Individuals normally gets sick after 2-5 days of consuming the contaminated food Duration is approximately 1 week Further complications could be Meningitis, paralysis leading to death   Salmonella Symptoms Headache Fever and chills Diarrhea, cramps Nausea Vomiting Illness Individuals normally gets sick 12 to 24 hours of consuming the contaminated food Period of illness is 1-3 days Infected individuals can carry and shed Salmonella for months without showing any symptoms.   Listeria monocytogenes Symptoms In healthy individuals the symptoms are “flu-like” Susceptible individuals (pregnant women, elderly, newborns and infants, immunosuppressed individuals: Stillbirth or abortion Meningitis Pneumonia Septicemia (infection of the blood) Endocarditis (inflammation of the heart) Illness Individuals normally gets sick after few days to 35 days of consuming the contaminated food High mortality rate (30-40%)!! E coli O157:H7 Symptoms: Bloody diarrhea and urine Kidney failure and death Illness Infective dose is extremely low < 10 cells!!! Incubation period is around 2 days High mortality rate! Bacillus cereus Illness and symptoms Two types of syndromes The first Onset of symptoms occur within 8 to 16 hours of ingesting the food Duration of the illness is short 6-24 hours Main symptom: Diarrhea The second Illness similar to Staph aureus Onset of symptoms is short (1-6 hours) Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, and eventually diarrhea

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