The bags of two delivery men set fire to the ready-to-eat food distribution business, in the sense that the control they agreed to undergo brought to the surface the risk of poisoning those who order ready-to-eat food.
Of course, not all bags are in the same condition but it is indicative of where not disinfecting ready-to-eat bags can lead.
As the president of the Cyprus Consumers' Association, Mr. Marios Drousiotis, told "F", in an attempt to determine the conditions for transporting ready-to-eat food, distributors were approached, two of whom were persuaded to dispose of the bags in which they place the food they want to deliver.
We heard and saw a lot and thought that it would be good in some way to find out whether the suspicions were well-founded and if so, what the possible risks are, said Mr. Drousiotis.
As he told Filenews, the task was not easy because it is not mandatory for someone to provide you with the tools of their work for control.
The bags were taken to a recognized chemical laboratory which, after analysis, informed the Consumer Association that it had identified three pathogens with the indicators being very high. The Laboratory informed the Association that these organisms can cause food poisoning.
The fact that there are no increased cases of poisoning is appreciated by the fact that the food that is transported is well sealed in their boxes. This, combined with the fact that these foods are usually delivered to the recipients in a relatively short period of time (from the time they are placed in the delivery bag until delivery) acts as a deterrent to the contamination of food and consequently to the cause of poisoning.
Mr. Drousiotis believes that distributors could clean/disinfect their bags at regular intervals to prevent the risk of poisoning.
It is noted that the analyzes were done before the poisoning incident at a wedding ceremony in Limassol.
The president of the Cyprus Consumers Association described the reaction of the Health Services as positive while noting that the launch of sample checks will keep those involved in the preparation, sale and distribution of ready-made food alert, which will be to the benefit of the consumer.
At the same time, he indicated that ready-to-eat food manufacturers should also be concerned in the sense that they are at risk of being exposed without having a problem with their own food, which can be contaminated by factors they cannot control.
Finally, he said that a protocol must be implemented in the food production and distribution chain to prevent consumer poisoning.
