The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs is setting up a number of training centers for poorly trained workers in the food industry to ensure adherence to hygienic standards of handling and storage. Al-Hayat Arabic daily quoted Dr. Bashir Abu Najm, Director General for Licenses and Trade Control at the Jeddah Mayoralty, as saying that the training will be for workers in the various food industries and at catering facilities. Abu Najm, according to the paper, said the ministry's project will be carried out in collaboration with five mayoralties in the Kingdom. The ministry is taking into consideration that the majority of workers in the field have no previous experience. This is according to a study on the food industry conducted recently by researchers, said Abu Najm. Another factor being taken into consideration is that there is a high turnover of workers in the industry. Abu Najm said the Jeddah mayoralty is stressing the importance of training to prevent consumers from developing diseases from eating contaminated food. He said the mayoralty has intensified its inspections of facilities serving food. It has also sent out a circular to all subsidiary municipalities in the governorate about inspections. Abu Najm called on all catering centers and food facilities in the country to separate raw and cooked food. “It is highly important to keep these boards (for preparation) separate to avoid the possibility of cross-contamination of bacteria from raw to cooked food. We should also take into account that poor personal hygiene, improper cleaning of storage and preparation areas and unclean utensils cause contamination of raw and cooked food,” he said. Refrigerators should be kept clean and ice removed, he said. Food kept at the correct temperature protects it from getting rotten. It also stops the reproduction of harmful bacteria. Abu Najm advised that frozen food should be kept at temperatures below four degrees Centigrade and for not more than 18 hours. He also warned that the mayoralty plans to take tough action against those who do not abide by health rules and do not protect consumers.
