"Norovirus Prevention" MFDS Conducts Hygiene Inspections at Group Meal Facilities in Daycare Centers

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 6th that, in order to prevent norovirus food poisoning, which mainly increases in winter, it will conduct a focused inspection of the hygiene management status of about 4,400 daycare center cafeterias nationwide in cooperation with local governments from the 16th of this month to the 3rd of next month. Norovirus survives even at minus 20℃ and can withstand heating at 60℃ for 30 minutes, which is why infection cases concentrate in winter.

This inspection targets food service facilities that were not inspected in the first half of the year. The main inspection items include ▲use and storage of products past their expiration date ▲hygienic handling of food ▲use of spoiled, deteriorated, or unlabeled products ▲hygiene management of food service facilities such as cleaning and disinfecting cooking utensils ▲storage of preserved food, etc.

Along with the inspection, cooking utensils and prepared foods for meals will be collected and tested to check for contamination by food poisoning bacteria. Education and promotion on food poisoning prevention rules, such as proper handwashing methods and disinfection and disposal methods for vomit from norovirus patients, as well as norovirus prevention methods, will also be conducted.

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