After news about the sale of suspected fake fruit juice broke last month, consumers should have better awareness and be more careful in terms of food safety, at least for a while. After vendors were raided and products seized, some people stop buying bottled orange juice from street vendors. They say to themselves at least until they are sure that the liquid inside those plastic bottles are real juices.
Following the news, Thailand's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that the public observe the label on the bottle before purchasing bottled juices.
Despite the fact that consumers cannot be certain how many or if bottled orange juice sold by street vendors in this country is properly labelled, the action taken by the Department of Medical Sciences who was quick to check out bottled orange juice sold on street side seemed to deserve a big hand.
But the result was even more surprising. All 15 samples they randomly picked up from Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Saraburi, were found to be below hygienic standard. They were found to be contaminated with coliform bacteria, which could result in digestive illnesses and food poisoning, not to mention artificial food colouring and preservatives. That means you cannot trust any orange juices from street vendors anymore, unless you make the vendors squeeze out the orange juice right before your eyes.
This issue raised huge concerns over Thailand's street food, which is in fact part of Thais' lifestyle and is even recommended as an exciting experience for international tourists.
The fake-orange-juice news is, however, just the tip of the iceberg. Looking around, you will see guava dyed in very bright green sold at most fruit carts, deep-fried insects and other snacks such as deep-fried banana cooked in over-reused oil, and other dubious offerings.
What the country is in urgent need of when it comes to roadside vendors and restaurants is the standardisation of hygiene and food safety. One obvious example is at Klongtoey Fresh Market (a short walk from the Bangkok Post building). While waiting for your lunch to be served at a noodle shop, for instance, you might have to keep your eye out for rats and cockroaches that may be roaming near where you sit. And if you raise this issue with a shop owner, they might react as if it's a common thing and absolutely nothing to worry about.
Indeed, there are so many shops like these. In Bangkok's Chinatown, many street-food vendors don't even provide tables. Diners have to sit on a plastic chair and hold their plate in one hand while eating right next to traffic -- just a few steps away from garbage and vehicle-exhaust fumes. Some people may find such an experience unique, but not everyone.
Of course, not all roadside food outlets are like this. But how such places, which are apparently below hygienic standards, can still operate remains in question.
In other provinces, food vendors may not be as busy as those in Bangkok, but that doesn't necessarily mean food there is safer, especially at tourist destinations.
Normally, tourist spots are quite busy on weekends. Vendors always prepare a lot of food to cope with big demand; however, when they cannot sell out all the food they've prepared, some choose to store it somewhere and reheat it for the next day's customers.
In previous eras, food vendors typically made hygiene a priority. They might lose their regular customers if their foods and cooking processes were not clean. If there was any dirt found in the food, it would be the talk of the town, and the vendors had to work very hard to regain customers' confidences.
But today, Thailand's street food is losing its standard. Taking advantage of customers is becoming a more common practice. But to solve this requires more than vendors' participation. State agencies might also lend a helping hand to ensure that street food can be trusted, and this is also to regain confidence among tourists, many of whom come here only for this kind of dining experience.
Peerawat Jariyasombat is a travel writer for the Life section of the Bangkok Post.