Dubai Municipality intensifies food safety measures in school canteens … reports Asian Lite News.
As the new academic year 2018/2019 has started Dubai Municipality has intensified food control measures in the school canteens strictly implementing all the procedures for supervising school canteens. Work is under way to ensure that all school canteens in public or private schools in the city follow the regulations and procedures governing the provision of food to students in all schools in Dubai.
Sultan Ali Al Taher, Acting Director of Food Safety Department in Dubai Municipality emphasized the efforts exerted by the Food Inspection Section in the Municipality to ensure a healthy and safe food environment in the canteens in all public and private schools.
He pointed out that the supervision of school canteens varies according to their roles in public schools from the supervision of private school canteens. “The public schools coordinate and deal with approved food companies that provide food products for school canteens. Private schools coordinate with approved food companies and also prepare some foods in the school kitchen, which requires a different control measure on these kitchens similar to the control systems of food establishments to ensure the commitment of these kitchens to the approved conditions,” said Al Taher.
He said schools must have a contract with licensed catering companies in the Emirate of Dubai to supply them with foodstuffs, and ensure that they comply with all hygiene requirements and that there are no serious violations during the last inspection (maintaining the right temperature of food during display in the school as well as during transportation, availability of Municipality approved hygiene supervisor, general cleanliness, no traces of insects and rodents, vehicles transporting food from source to school must be approved by Dubai Municipality Food Safety Department, provision of sufficient space in the establishment that ensure the rating of not less than very good (B) during the last visit and the necessity to get a permit from the Permits and Applied Nutrition Section).
Al Taher said that the Municipality is monitoring all schools in the Emirate, especially with regard to the conservation of food, food transportation, cleanliness of school canteens and the need for a food supervisor in all school canteens.
“The Municipality will train all supervisors on the basics of food safety, and they should abide by the school canteen manual approved by the Food Safety Department,” he said.
Al Taher stressed the need for school canteens to comply with food safety regulations and systems. “In the event of any violation, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority and the Ministry of Education will be contacted to take the necessary action. These efforts are part of Dubai Municipality’s keenness on the safety of all food supply operations in school canteens to provide all school students with a hygienic and safe food environment,” he added.
“During the week, the Department will organize a two-day workshop for school supervisors and catering companies to coordinate on the work mechanism of canteens to ensure that they comply with the approved hygiene requirements, as well as the adoption of a mechanism for inspection of drinking water tanks and refrigerator cleaning companies,” said Al Taher.