Targeting food-poisoning-prone facilities including Garak Market, social welfare facilities and childcare centers, the district is conducting hygiene inspections from May through June — going beyond visual checks with scientific SWAP (surface contamination) testing of knives and cutting boards.
Amid growing concerns about summer food poisoning following an unusually early rise in temperatures this year, Songpa-gu has moved quickly to protect residents' food safety.
Songpa-gu, led by District Mayor Seo Gang-seok, said it is conducting sweeping hygiene inspections at 120 food-poisoning-prone facilities — including restaurants and food service establishments inside Garak Market and childcare centers — over roughly two months from May through June ahead of the summer season.
The inspections focus administrative resources on food service establishments inside Garak Market, such as raw fish centers frequented by large numbers of residents, as well as group meal facilities including childcare centers and social welfare facilities that serve infants, toddlers and elderly people with weaker immune systems.
The district said it is going beyond routine hygiene checks to carry out thorough, results-oriented inspections. In addition to verifying compliance with the Food Sanitation Act, the district will collect cooking utensils — including knives and cutting boards used on-site — and submit them to the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Institute of Public Health and Environment (microbial management team) for SWAP (surface contamination) testing to measure bacterial contamination levels, targeting hygiene blind spots invisible to the naked eye.
Inspectors will also closely check whether seafood and other ingredients commonly linked to food poisoning are stored at proper temperatures and prepared using correct cooking methods. The inspections cover compliance with kitchen facility standards, sanitary management of storage units and cooking equipment, completion of health screenings by food handlers, and personal hygiene practices including the wearing of hairnets and masks.
In addition, the district will distribute food poisoning prevention leaflets at each site visit to promote thorough hygiene management.
"This year, the early onset of heat and high humidity means the risk of food poisoning is greater than ever, making strict hygiene management at vulnerable facilities absolutely essential," District Mayor Seo said. "Through these inspections, we will do our utmost to create a safe environment where all residents can use these facilities with peace of mind."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
