“They are in one place, roughly speaking.”; Visitors to the central market are concerned about non – compliance with sellers’ hygiene standards Without Taboo

During the spread of the virus, the viewer of the show “Bez Tabu” has witnessed how the traders in the Milk Pavilion of the Riga Central Market do not observe the basic norms of hygiene and cleanliness.

Helen says that when she visited the market four mornings in a row, she noticed that one of the vendors was packing pancakes with her bare hands, never washing or disinfecting them.

Helen

Worried about the hygiene market

–

“She also cut cheese with her bare hands, and maybe no one processes it thermally at home. Then she still picks up the pen, then she still packs her hair, then she stays on the phone, then everything is left open, and again she does the same thing. They know what they are doing, they are in the same place, roughly speaking. ”

–

Helen filmed what she saw in a short video, and it really shows that the seller does not use gloves or any other aids when cutting and packing products. The opinions of market visitors on the street are divided – some agree with Helena, because they have observed similar scenes. Others believe that the key is to protect yourself. However, a blueberry seller says that almost everyone, with the exception of a few elderly traders, uses gloves, disinfectants and takes care to comply with all hygiene standards.

Let’s go to the scouts to see for ourselves whether traders really follow security measures in good faith. Entering the Milk Pavilion and throwing a circle around the vendors, we notice that plastic gloves or some aids when working with food are used only by a few. The other comes with just one glove or bag. We meet the seller mentioned by Helena – this time she is not ashamed to cut the cheese with her bare hands, offering to taste it for the customers as well.

It turns out that the Food and Veterinary Service is a frequent visitor to the Riga Central Market. This year, a total of 119 inspections were performed there, 11 of them in the Milk Pavilion!

Tatiana Marchenko

FVS representative

–

“It must be understood that the general hygiene norms and requirements have been violated – it is the general, personal hygiene requirements. Because a person has to understand that in order to be able to pack this product here, she should use disposable gloves when packing, instead of standing in these gloves all day, or use the relevant trade equipment. ”

–

If disposable gloves are not available, the seller may use forks, spoons, cups or any other suitable tool, provided that it is replaced or washed if necessary. For example, after product tasting. Ms. Marčenkova points out that in this case a low culture of sales staff is clearly visible, which is difficult to cultivate if it was not done as a child. The FVS representative emphasizes that one must not only be able to sell goods, but also present oneself so as not to deter buyers, as has happened in this case.

Artis Druvnieks, Chairman of the Board of the Riga Central Market, says that there are four employees of the sanitary supervision department working in the Riga Central Market, whose daily responsibilities include ensuring compliance with both sanitary and hygiene requirements. He admits that there are not enough people for four of these pavilions and the size of the territory, and it is not possible to stand next to each seller. In such cases, an oral reprimand is made for the first time. In the next one, if the situation already recurs, an act is drawn up and a fine is imposed. Following the involvement of “Without Taboos”, the seller was invited to negotiations, and enhanced monitoring was introduced in the Milk Pavilion to prevent such cases from happening again.

–