Responding to several queries received from parents today about the safety of food provided by school canteens and food companies accredited to school students, competent authorities in the Emirate of Sharjah confirmed that they monitor and follow up various aspects related to food safety, food halls and ensure the implementation of Its tasks are best achieved through various control mechanisms and procedures, ensuring that the student receives a healthy, healthy and beneficial diet.
In detail, parents in Sharjah told Emirates Today that their children do not accept the idea of making their meals at home, after private schools have many types of foods and meals prepared quickly, demanding to know whether these foods are healthy and suitable for students or not, And the extent to which they are subject to control by the concerned authorities, to ensure that they comply with the specifications and standards required.
Dr. Amal Al Shamsi, Director of Public Health Department at Sharjah Municipality, revealed that school canteens are receiving great attention from the Department of Public Health to ensure the quality of the products sold, and to comply with health requirements, and provide a safe food for students and free of any contaminants. All private schools in Sharjah will receive a NOC from the school cafeteria. The food control section will be reviewed and the application will be submitted, along with a list of meals and varieties of food to be served in the school. According to the list approved by the Ministry of Education, approval is given for the circulation of permitted items.
She continued: «inspections are made to the supplier who will be contracted by the school to ensure that the facility meets the requirements and specifications required for the supply and supply of schools with meals, and to ensure the provision of permits for vehicles that will transport food to schools, which confirms that they meet the requirements, especially as Permits issued by Sharjah Municipality ».
She pointed out that more than 111 inspection visits have been organized since the beginning of the year for the canteens of the private schools in the city, to ensure that they comply with the requirements, and action has been taken against them.
The Sharjah Special Education Authority said that the control teams of the Authority, which monitor and follow up various aspects related to food safety in school canteens and dining halls, are carrying out their tasks to the fullest, through several control mechanisms and procedures to ensure that students get a healthy, healthy and beneficial meal. To comply with the requirements and standards of health and safety in school canteens.
Ali Al Hosani, Director of Sharjah Private Education Authority, said: “During its multiple visits, the inspection teams supervised the school cafeterias, the restaurant, the dining hall, materials and meals, starting with the first visit (the school readiness visit) at the beginning of the school year and receiving students. Follow-up visits are followed by other monitoring visits, to monitor the compliance of private educational institutions with the requirements and standards of health and safety in school canteens, where the inspection of canteens periodically by the inspection teams, and the private educational institution is not contracted with food suppliers only after they have I have a permit to supply from Sharjah Municipality ».
He pointed out that the monitoring teams follow the constructional sanitary requirements, such as the canteen building and the cleanliness and safety of floors and walls covered with ceramics, and the storage of food at a height of 25 cm from the ground, and monitor sanitary and electrical installations and windows covered with wire mesh, and appropriate cooling, hygiene and ventilation, and insect traps.
He added: «The inspection of the teams extends to the staff in school canteens, in terms of personal hygiene, uniforms and headdresses, and they get health cards issued by the Sharjah Municipality clinic and vaccination cards, and is inspected on a continuous basis materials and meals in terms of free of dyes and spices Fat, safety of shelf life, non-freezing and re-thawing of foods and control of unauthorized foods such as soft drinks.
111
Inspection visit to school canteens since the beginning of the school year.