Politics and public health

Health Minister Wael Abou Faour caused quite a stir by telling the Lebanese they are eating “shit” — his word, not ours. What he failed to do, however, is give any details about the methodology and precise results of tests on food his ministry recently conducted. In short, Abou Faour spread fear, not information. He also failed to point out that testing food and water once in a blue moon does nothing to ensure that they are consistently meeting health and safety standards. Lebanon has several laws and decrees setting standards for food, water and the preparation of these two necessities; the problem — as always — is enforcing these standards and punishing those who violate them. This is especially true for unlicensed and unregulated small scale water distributors — the ‘off brands’ selling 10 liter bottles in corner shops and supermarkets as well as the neighborhood distributors who fill