Your Kitchen, Your Illness
Most domestic workers are uneducated, coming from remote and informal settlements, and lack knowledge regarding the shelf life of food and medicines. Without regular inspections of storage areas to remove expired, suspected spoiled, or simply old items, problems arise.
Some stored food items, particularly desserts, lack production dates and have become more decorative than suitable for hospitality. Those who cannot distinguish between safe and unsafe food consume them, leaving the Ministry of Health’s budget to bear the consequences.
Furthermore, some individuals transfer food items from their original packaging into plastic containers. Once the original packaging is discarded, the domestic worker continues to use the food because there is no visible expiration date on the new container. Even if the food is still within its temporal shelf life, the worker may not realize it has spoiled due to improper storage conditions.
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In the past, shortly before the advent of mobile phones, being referred from a clinic to a hospital was akin to having one’s death warrant signed, due to the rarity of such referrals given the low incidence of diseases. Consequently, calls from relatives and loved ones would flood in to check on the patient’s well-being.
Disease rates were very low before the widespread reliance on domestic workers and the proliferation of restaurants.
One individual recounted his experience with his child’s health crisis: his child’s fever dropped while on antibiotics but spiked immediately after the course ended. He said, “I nearly lost my child, until God guided me to personally monitor the child’s care. What did I find? Fungi and bacteria in water bottles and pacifiers, new milk bottles stacked on top of old ones, no washing, and a wife who was on the verge of divorce due to her negligence. Had it not been for their child, she would not have stayed with him for a moment.”
While household matters are traditionally women’s domain, they are ultimately under the supervision of the husband, who holds primary responsibility for the home and family.
I write these modest words due to their critical importance to children’s lives and health, as well as the health of the family as a whole. When we ask God for well-being and health without taking practical steps, we are merely being passive.
Installing cameras in kitchens will not reveal what has been left exposed in refrigerators for long periods, nor will it show whether spices stored in plastic containers have expired.
Judicial municipal officers do not have the authority to inspect private kitchens. This is the responsibility of fathers, mothers, and family activists in general. It requires no significant time or effort: simply discard what is no longer needed, and ensure refrigerators are sanitized periodically before reintroducing food.
We urge the Kuwait Municipality to increase public awareness on how to handle food materials, teaching people how to identify and deal with spoiled items, perhaps through training programs or informative lectures. Residents should also be encouraged to report such issues when encountered in markets and restaurants.
A Kuwaiti writer
