For many of us as consumers, restaurant kitchens are a place that remains a huge mystery. We are left in the dark – we only know what is reported to us by food safety authorities. So as a result, we sometimes get imaginative. Are they filled with mountains of food? Is it crawling with cockroaches? Well, fortunately for the Chinese people, they might no longer be left in the dark.
In the southern Chinese city of Zhanjiang in Guangdong Province, authorities are enforcing the restaurant kitchens in the area to be fitted with windows and CCTV cameras. This is so that customers can get a good view of what the kitchen that serves them their food looks like.
The director of the Food and Drug Administration in Zhanjiang says that if windows are not fitted with windows, there will a big TV screen in the dining area of the restaurant and also on TV screens in the food regulators’ office. This way, diners and food regulators can both supervise the food-making process.
Will this change restaurant kitchen?
Who knows? I think it is a very brave move for the Guangdong authorities and it puts a lot more pressure on the restaurant owners. They will have to ‘clean’ up their act and have everything nicely presented in the kitchen. But this does not resolve the real issue of cleanliness. Appearing tidy does not mean it’s clean. This might be a short term solution but I believe, it will not be able to resolve the problem.
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