Awareness Section of Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) organized a lecture on "The Rules of Food Safety and Their Role in Enriching the Education," targeting girl students at the Salama Bint Bati Secondary School in Bani Yas. This was part of a series of awareness and educative programs and non-punitive campaigns held in association with local social bodies in order to improve the levels of food safety in homes and organizations.
The lecture, delivered by Dr. Mansour Abdul Latif, Senior Inspector of Food Safety at ADFCA, began with a detailed elucidation of the correct methods of storing and preserving food at homes. The lecture also described the correct way of storing food items in fridges and freezers at home, stressing the importance of keeping poultry, meats and fish at the bottom of the freezers in order to avoid cross-contamination.
Dr. Abdul Latif emphasized on the dangers of diseases transmitted through contaminated food or because of improper storing, unsafe preparation or serving, all of which could result in health hazards. He elaborated on the concept of safe food and the factors that contribute to making foods safe and high quality, in addition to explaining the bacterial growth in food and the role of temperature variations in facilitating it.
The speaker also explained food poisoning and its symptoms and types, elaborating on the various diseases that result from food infections. He gave a detailed presentation on how food gets contaminated and how to prevent incidents of food poisoning. He also explained the basic principles of checking the validity of various food products, including meat, fish and poultry. He said it was easy to identify any unnatural changes on food items before the expiry date if people read the food label carefully and heeded the five advices to guarantee food safety. The five advices are the separation of raw foods from cooked foods, cooking food to the appropriate temperature, use of clean and drinkable water, washing of hands and the storing of foods in the suitable temperature.