KABUL (SW) – A number of Kabul residents believe street food vendors do not comply with hygiene and quality standards, which is seriously affecting their health and safety.
Street food is one of the most popular foods in the world due to its quick preparation and low price, and this type of food is common in most countries, including Afghanistan. Street food in Afghanistan is generally offered to customers without observing health issues, and this issue has caused complaints from citizens.
A number of Kabul residents complain that street food vendors do not comply with health and hygiene standards. They added that street food and drinks in the country are mostly sold next to gutters full of garbage and filth.
Karta Nau in Kabul city is one of the areas where street food is offered to customers next to bins full of garbage and dishes without covers, and this issue has caused the concern of citizens. Gulab Jan, a resident of Kabul city, told Salam Watandar that street vendors operate in an environment full of dust and without respecting health issues. “Health-wise, these foods are not healthy,” he added. “On the one hand, there is a lot of smoke, on the other hand, the air is very polluted. We ask the Ministry of Public Health to pay special attention to these food stalls.”
Hamid, another resident of Kabul city, said that street food vendors do not respect health issues and use outdated oil to cook food. These residents of Kabul want the authorities of the Islamic Emirate to increase the monitoring of these roadisde sellers.
On the other hand, street food vendors claim that these foods have many fans and hundreds of people use these foods daily.
Rafiullah, who sells falafel, said that 200 to 250 people come to him every day to buy this food. According to him, street food vendors try to comply with health issues. Fardin, another street food seller in Kabul city, said that although the price of raw materials has increased, but he has around 200 customers a day. He added that in order to comply with health issues, he puts food inside glass cabinets to remain clean.
Meanwhile, doctors warn and say that one of the ways to transfer germs to people is to eat unhealthy street food.
Syed Farid, an internal medicine specialist at Wazir Mohammad Akbar Khan Hospital, told Salam Watandar: “Many infectious diseases are transmitted from these street foods. For example, H Pylori, tetanus, and viruses and parasites are transmitted through cherries and dishes that are not washed and used several times.”
On the other hand, officials in Kabul Municipality say that a new method will soon be implemented to monitor street food more.
Nematullah Barakzai, the spokesperson of Kabul Municipality, said: “In this regard, we have prepared the procedure and after passing the procedure, according to the bill, we will ask for licebses from these sellers. In order for our review to be legal, we have prepared a procedure for it.”
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