Dubai: Mohamed Ibrahim
The Emirates Foundation for School Education reported placing 20 items related to the work of school canteens under the microscope of periodic inspection of school canteens, in compliance with the approved environmental, health and occupational safety requirements.
The approved evaluation criteria stressed the availability of a sufficient number of supervisors and operators, with one worker for every 150-200 students in the second cycle schools, who are qualified and approved by the competent local authorities concerned with food safety in the country, provided that waste storage and disposal are properly managed.
She stressed, through the guide to the safe return to schools for the academic year 2022-2023, the details of which were reviewed by the “Gulf”, the importance of specifying a specific place for the materials to be returned to suppliers, providing a health training certificate to introduce the safety of basic foods, instructions for washing hands, and providing a liquid for washing and sterilizing authorized hands. It, showing employees appropriate knowledge and understanding of basic food safety, and ensuring public sterilization to prevent selective contamination, as well as the commitment of workers to personal hygiene, and uniform dress, including wearing gloves and head covering.
She added: “Regulations should be put in place explaining how to wash hands near hand washbasins, the use of paper napkins, placing the insect killer in a suitable place and maintaining it, as well as controlling physical contamination in the appropriate place, and it is not permissible to have metal wires in the washing bowl, or broken and cracked utensils.” , and no stationery, provided that there are first aid boxes in the place, and the level of cleaning is acceptable for the equipment used, and that the refrigerated food remains at a temperature of less than 5 degrees.
Only prepared low-risk foods are allowed to be left at room temperature during service for a period not exceeding half an hour, and these items are thrown away if not sold after service, and records used to record food temperature, and maintain food quality and safety in terms of smell Taste and hygiene, provided that a label is placed on the products containing the following data: the name of the product and ingredients, the name of the company, the date of production and expiry, and the preparation of the canteen with the necessary equipment such as refrigerators, heaters and insect repellents.
The evaluation criteria stressed the need to have vehicles equipped to transport food and licensed by the local competent authorities concerned with food safety and the licensing of vehicles used to transport food in the country.
The Foundation has set 24 tasks assigned to school principals in school canteens, the most prominent of which is to ensure that the supplier is ready for his school canteen, providing all the necessary equipment and equipment, and providing the supplier for a sufficient number of supervisors and operators in the canteen according to the percentages approved by the Foundation, and his commitment to the prices imposed on him by the Foundation, as well as Commitment to all health requirements and standards, supplying all items approved in the contract, and monitoring the supplier’s commitment to providing all meals and assigned items.
It is the responsibility of school principals to ensure the aesthetic appearance of the canteen, provided that the environment of the canteen is motivating for students to use it, with the need to provide good lighting, ventilation and awareness brochures on the importance of healthy balanced foods, and to ensure that the canteen is clean and open on a daily basis at breakfast times before the morning queue. and during break times.
The school director must ensure that the opportunities times are divided among the students according to the plan in place, to reduce overcrowding and give the students the possibility to obtain meals, and cooperate with the supplier and school canteen supervisors in organizing break times to ensure that students receive meals on a regular basis, and develop awareness plans for students and parents in particular. With healthy nutrition, and encouraging students to use the school canteen and not to buy with restaurants, cafeterias and groceries outside the school.
The guide stated the need to ensure the quality of health certificates, papers and other records of temperature and sterilization in the school canteen on a permanent basis, and to apply periodic supervision and evaluation on the performance of the supplier and to ensure that its employees and employees comply with all procedures and general controls for school service providers, and submit periodic reports in the presence of any default, or Complaints, or recurring problems that were not fulfilled or corrected by them, as well as the daily follow-up and control of the work of school canteens and the extent to which all meals and supporting items comply with the standards and requirements.