Assessment of food hazards in local restaurants in Chiang Rai, Thailand

Vivat Keawdounglek

Authors

Vivat Keawdounglek Program of Environmental Health, School of Health Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand

Keywords:

food hazards, food safety, food sanitation, food sanitation and safety, Good Manufacturing Practices, GMPs

Abstract

The aims of this study are: 1) to examine food sanitation and safety by assessing food hazards, and 2) to recommend guidelines for the reduction of food hazards in local restaurants in Chiang Rai province in northern Thailand. Forty-four local restaurants were included in the target group of this study. The methodology consists of the assessment of physical hazards using a check-list. To assess the chemical hazards, five types of test-kits including a borax, a formalin, a salicylic acid, a sodium hydrosulfite, and a pesticide or MJPK test-kit were used. Moreover, biological hazards were assessed using the most probable number or MPN method. The results show that there were not any physical or chemical hazards in their food. By contrast, E.coli was detected at twenty restaurants in Chiang Rai. Therefore, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) should be widely promoted to encourage a high level of food sanitation and safety in order to decrease several food hazards, especially biological contamination. Furthermore, non-smoking areas should be designated and fire-prevention equipment should be installed in these restaurants.

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