Health Office in hygiene drive

PHUKET: In a bid to raise the standards of local restaurants and food stalls, the Phuket Provincial Health Office has begun inspecting them and awarding those that meet its standards with a ‘Clean Food, Good Taste’ sign and certificate. Dr Boonrieng Chuchaisangrat, Chief of the Health Office, explained that Phuket is still very competitive in the regional tourism industry, and still has a great deal of potential. But in order to keep the momentum going, he said, the Health Office felt that Phuket should raise the standards of its restaurants and food to an international level by placing emphasis on cleanliness and safety for diners. In addition to awarding ‘Clean Food, Good Taste’ stickers and certificates, the Health Office will publicize the names of those that meet their standards, through government media, both to local residents and to inbound tourists. This will create a good image for each individual business, said Dr Boonrieng, as well as for the local restaurant industry, and eventually the island as a whole. So far, about 100 restaurants and 20 food stalls have received the award. Dr Boonrieng hopes that by the end of this year there will be many more, covering all types of food and all sizes of restaurant and stalls.