Basic Food Safety Training

The Basic Food Safety Training program is an initiative developed by Dubai Municipality that requires all food handlers to be trained in food safety and qualified based on international best practices. The aim of the program is to provide the knowledge and understanding to food handlers in food safety for ensuring the food is handled safely throughout the food chain stages in the Emirate of Dubai.

All food handlers in Restaurants, hotels, Cafes, fast-food outlets, takeaways, mobile food trucks, kitchens etc in Dubai are intended to take the Basic food safety course. It is designed to be a foundation training for all personnel working in the food industry. It includes an overview of food safety measures in Dubai, and explains the role of a food handler in protecting food. Topics of this training are from the point of view of a food handler.

Course Highlights the Introduction to Food safety, Avoiding cross contamination, Cooking, Cleaning, Chilling and Food safety management

The five simple keys to safe and healthy food that every food handler needs to keep in mind are :

• Keep clean
• Separate raw and cooked
• Cook thoroughly
• Keep food at safe temperatures,
• Use safe water and raw materials

Following these five keys helps food handlers know they are handling foods safely and preventing microbes from multiplying.

An important aspect of Food safety training is personal hygiene. Pathogens are commonly found on the skin and in the noses of healthy people. Scratching the head and nose can result in bacteria being transferred by hands onto food, which may cause illnesses to customers. Smoking in food rooms may cause food contamination by cigarette butts, ash or hands. Prevention of foodborne illnesses should begin with good personal hygiene practices by food handlers in both personal cleanliness and habits to prevent contamination of food by pathogens.

Factors for assessing the level of food safety risk include:

• The nature of food produced or manufactured in the establishment;
• The manner in which food is handled or served;
• The type of menu items or the complexity of the processes used (i.e., prepared-from-scratch menu items versus preparation or reheating of pre-packaged, ready-to-eat foods; and
• The number of meals served daily, the size of establishment, and the type of customers to whom food is catered to (i.e., vulnerable populations, people with allergies).

Continuing Educational Training

a. Every food establishment should promote food safety education through ongoing training, including additional online and classroom sessions, on-the-job training, workshops, and employee meetings.
b. Food handlers should participate in a refresher or updating course after two years of training. However, the food handler shall be retrained in the Basic Food Safety program only if incompetency in food handling practices are noticed.