The Department of Health (DOH) has urged local government units (LGU) to help secure perimeters of schools against ambulant food vendors.
“LGUs should regulate ambulant vendors outside school premises to ensure that unhealthy and unsafe food will not be offered to students,” said DOH program manager for nutrition Luz Tagunicar.
According to her, most ambulant vendors do not have access to clean water to cook food and clean their utensils.
“There is a higher risk of having food poisoning or contaminated food which is harmful to children,” she said, adding that ready-to-eat food often were lacking in nutrition.
“Usually the food offered by ambulant vendors are too salty, too sweet or too oily. But in the long run, children will suffer because they are bound to get diseases as they grow older, like hypertension,” Tagunicar said.
She urged parents to prepare food for their kids instead of allowing them to buy food sold outside schools.