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Stronger regulations suggested for bento street vendors

9 Comments

An advisory body to the Tokyo metropolitan government is recommending new regulations in terms of food hygiene for the owners of traveling stalls that sell bento on the streets.

The new rules will require vendors to prepare a container to keep bento cold and arrange a food hygiene supervisor to manage it.

The number of traveling stalls has been increasing in business districts in Chuo and Minato wards for the past 10 years, NHK reported Monday. As of 2012, 542 bento street vendors had been registered with the metropolitan government.

There has been no case of food poisoning caused by bento sold on the streets so far. However, the advisory body said it had become aware of a lack of food hygiene in summer.

The group recommended that vendors prepare a container to keep bento cold, arrange for a food hygiene supervisor and, where possible, keep their products away from direct sunlight.

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9 Comments
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How about a food hygiene supervisor for every restaurant. Also review what the word 'hygiene' means. I've seen some pretty unhygienic restaurants here and most staff aren't trained in food handling/hygiene either.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Yeah. Specially some chinese food restaurants. With my own eyes I was witness of a person seasoning chicken in the floor with their feets.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I walk past a Chinese restaurant every day near my work that has stacks and stacks of unrefrigerated plastic containers of Chinese food for sale in front of the shop. I never see anyone buying it. I often wonder if that's the only reason no one has been food poisoned by it.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Okay then, well how about we extend this to the Yakuza-operated 'yatai' stalls? Where do they get their water from? Did they even wash those manky drums before mixing ingredients in them? The list goes on...

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Ive been to places where staff and customer use a common bathroom. The chef did his business and walked out without washing hands. I chased him to his restaurant and screamed to all customers that he'd not washed his hands. Staff and customers both had the deer looking into head lights.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

arrange a food hygiene supervisor to manage it.

How many restaurants have a 'food hygiene supervisor'? How many bento trucks can afford one of them? Sounds to me like the city is responding to complaints from restaurant owners.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Every food joint should have the health inspection certificate grade in easy view for customers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XVs6CVUlFQ

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I think most of the street vendors' food is safer to eat than the food in many restaurants.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The number of traveling stalls has been increasing in business districts in Chuo and Minato wards for the past 10 years ... There has been no case of food poisoning caused by bento sold on the streets so far.

I think they have a good track record. Why the sudden need for costly regulation? In the end, the consumer has to pay for all that unnessecary faf.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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