As part of its efforts to raise children's awareness about the sound food practices and encourage them to protect the environment and preserve natural resources, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) has organized a special event on the Emirati Children's Day at Al Marfa School in Al Dhafra region. About 300 students and a number of the administrative and teaching staff of the school have participated in the event. During the event, the authority's officials have presented an awareness lecture on food safety and agricultural sustainability.

During the lecture, the participants were introduced to essentials of handling food, smart shopping, packing school bag, ways of washing hands before and after eating, and the importance of the proper washing for vegetables and fruit before eating. They also were educated about the importance of reading food labels before buying food products, checking the expiration date, and following the sound ways of transferring and storing foodstuffs.

The lecture highlighted the importance of exploiting the garden in producing some vegetable and fruit varieties and its impact on the environment, as well as preventing water waste, whether during the personal use or while irrigating garden plants. Furthermore, participants were enlightened on diseases that transmit from animals to humans, their risks to human health and society, reasons for transmission, and ways of prevention.

In this regard, the school administration staff hailed the valuable lecture presented by ADFCA. They stressed the importance of the awareness drives led by the authority  to protect the society from diseases resulting from the unsound food practices and dealing with animals. They called the authority for re-organizing such events for children in cooperation with educational institutions.

The event is part of ADFCA's awareness-raising activities that target the society's all segments, including children, as they can acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to handle food properly and achieve food safety.