The Ministry of Social Development and Family, represented by the Family Empowerment Department, in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health, organized a training workshop entitled "Food Safety" at the Social Development Center in the Pearl, with the aim of training owners of Home Grown on the correct methods and mechanisms for preserving food for a longer period without spoiling.

The workshop was presented by Ms. Haifa Abdullah, Supervisor of Health Inspection - Food Safety Department - at the Ministry of Public Health. Several owners of Home-Grown Projects specializing in cooking and food projects attended it. Participants in the workshop learned about modern and scientific methods for preserving and storing food, the general health conditions in the primary food facility, and the correct way to transport, display, and sell ready-made foods.

The workshop reviewed the basic and important matters in our kitchens to obtain safe food free of pollutants at all stages of the food chain: preparation, cooking, cooling, heating, storage, and display by following sound health practices, to avoid foodborne diseases.

Regarding the importance of presenting this workshop to owners of productive projects, Ms. Haifa Abdullah said: This awareness workshop was presented and highlighted the importance of food safety for workers in food production, and explained how to prevent foodborne diseases, and learned about the basics of food safety according to the specifications and standards in effect in the country and international organizations, to provide the highest possible level of food safety for the consumer.

The workshop included several axes, including defining the importance of food safety and knowing the characteristics of microbes, microbes, their types and growth factors, food poisoning, general health requirements for the food facility and workers in the food facility, the effective method of cleaning and disinfecting hands, and the stages of the food chain.

Trainees will also be able to identify common mistakes in the kitchen, health requirements for transporting, displaying, and selling ready-to-eat food, especially those presented at events and exhibitions, personal hygiene, and healthy behavior during the sale of food.

The (Food Safety) workshop is one of a series of awareness lectures organized by the Ministry of Social Development and Family in cooperation with the Ministry of Health throughout the year, which is in line with its vision towards directing the efforts of the relevant institutions to economically empower women and families through training and providing support services to market their products in marketing outlets.

For her part, Ms. Fatima Al-Nuaimi, Director of the Empowerment Department at the Ministry, said that the department continues its ongoing support for development projects aimed at economically empowering individuals and families in coordination with the relevant authorities, and directing and encouraging the efforts of the private sector and civil society organizations to establish or finance development projects, in addition to developing and implementing projects to support Home-Grown Projects through training and providing support services, and providing appropriate areas and opportunities to market products by participating in various marketing exhibitions.

It is worth noting that the Ministry is making strenuous efforts to support owners of Home-Grown projects in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 by providing programs and initiatives that aim to enhance innovation and increase production efficiency to achieve development.