Published: Mon 7 Feb 2022, 6:47 PM

A total of 836 Sharjah-based food establishments joined the Sharjah Food Safety Program (SFSP) over the past year, bringing the total number of these establishments to 6,091 since the program's inception in 2011.

The SFSP's aim is to ensure the implementation of optimal health practices in the production, preparation, presentation and distribution of food to keep consumers safe and well-nourished during the Covid-19 pandemic and for sustainability within the food industry.

Sheikha Maha Ali Al Mualla, director of the Conformity Assessment Office in the Public Health Sector and Central Laboratories of the Sharjah Municipality, confirmed the SFSP's continuing achievements in providing safe food to consumers. This aligns with the vision and the health objectives of the emirate as a whole. It also reflects the municipality's keenness to enhance community awareness on healthcare, raise health standards and promote the best practices in the food industry.

She explained that over the past year, the municipality had trained more than 11,700 workers and domestic helpers, bringing the total number of trainees (since the founding of the municipality) to 76,155.

She also said that the municipality wished to overcome challenges at various phases of the program, by adopting smart applications and virtual training to facilitate the training and testing process.

The application of this system provided numerous benefits to food establishments and consumers alike, as it contributed to increasing consumer confidence in the food provided by establishments, as well as a general increase in demand. It also contributed to a reduction in food poisoning cases.

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Sheikha Maha stressed that food establishments had to meet a number of different criteria to be granted the SFSP certificate, such as the presence of two trained employees on the manager's training pattern (Manager GHP), and the application of the Good Health Practices (GHP) system throughout the facility.

She explained that the municipality also provided technical support to food establishments free of charge through its trained technical staff to help implement the SFSP, and to encourage the adoption of such useful programs. This would work wonders in raising the standards of food establishments in Sharjah.

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