The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has set up a certification mark for postpartum meals to ensure food safety and hygiene, adding that meal providers are required to reapply for the mark every two years.
As demand for postpartum care services has been growing, the new policy aims to put new mothers’ mind at ease regarding food safety, department Commissioner Chen Yen-yuan (陳彥元) said.
The department talked to postpartum meal providers when drawing up the policy, Chen said, adding that the certification system adheres to Article 11 of the Taipei City Government’s ordinance for food safety.
Photo: Tsai Ssu-pei, Taipei Times
Postpartum nursing facilities and healthcare facilities that provide postpartum meals are also required to apply for the certification mark, Chen added.
The establishments would be inspected for management of employee hygiene; food processing quality; ingredient quality; equipment and utensil sanitation; and physical facilities, the department said.
Only establishments that achieve “excellent” or “good” rankings would be awarded a certification mark, it said.
The certificate is valid for two years and establishments have to apply for follow-up inspection upon expiration, it said.
Facilities that fail to pass inspections would be given time to improve the problems, but could face a fine of NT$30,000 to NT$100,000 if they do not improve within the given time period, the department said.
Since the certification mark system began in 2015, the city expanded the types of facilities that must apply for certification, such as food courts, school lunch providers and hotels, Chen said.
A total of 3,404 meal providers have received an “excellent” or “good” certification mark since 2015, the department said.
The city plans to include food vendors at night markets in the certification mark system in the second half of this year, starting from the shopping district around Yongkang Street (永康街) to the Sinbeitou (新北投) hot spring shopping district, Food and Drug Division head Chen Yi-ting (陳怡婷) said.
Hopefully, all of the city’s night markets would be included in the system within four years, Chen Yi-ting said.
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