[Video] Guangdong launches "one-yuan safe bowl"
Guangdong news: If you find the tableware unclean when dining at a restaurant, it will definitely affect your appetite. When eating out, poor hygiene conditions are always a concern. Recently, some restaurants in Zengcheng, Guangdong have introduced a "one-yuan safe bowl". The operators claim that by paying an extra yuan, customers can be assured of using clean and hygienic tableware.
A set of "one-yuan safe bowls" includes 2 soup bowls, 1 plate, 1 cup, 1 spoon, and 1 pair of chopsticks. Customers need to pay an additional one yuan to use this type of tableware. The restaurant states that this one yuan covers the cost of disinfecting the bowls and chopsticks.
So, what exactly makes these "safe bowls" trustworthy? CCTV reporters observed on the "safe bowl" disinfection production line that over ten thousand sets of tableware from various restaurants in Zengcheng go through processes such as residue removal, washing, high-temperature disinfection, and radiation sterilization before being distributed back to the restaurants.
After inspection by health authorities, the elimination rate of E. coli in the tableware coming off the production line reached 100%, with reduced rates of intestinal infectious diseases and foodborne illness pathogens. Du Kaipeng, Deputy Director of the Food Hygiene Department at the Zengcheng City Health Supervision Institute, said that citizens can use the disinfected bowls and chopsticks with peace of mind.
With hygiene now ensured, how do consumers feel about the extra one yuan charge?
Some citizens expressed that one yuan doesn't buy much these days. Spending it on ensuring cleanliness during meals is worth it for peace of mind. Others suggested that allowing consumers to understand the entire disinfection process would be even better.
Editor's note: Providing clean and reliable tableware is the minimum responsibility of every restaurant and something that restaurateurs should and must achieve. Should customers be given unsterilized utensils if they don't pay the extra one yuan? The editor believes that introducing "safe bowls" is a great initiative, but the "one-yuan" charge should not be passed on to consumers; it should be borne by the restaurant owners.
Source: http://www.zygjjt.com/news_view.asp?id=433