JEDDAH, 20 July 2007 — Only one among every eight people wash their hands after using a restroom. When one sneezes, the germs from the sneeze can travel at almost 80 miles per hour across the room. Microbes can grow to become more than eight million germs in just one day. Most of the food poisoning cases are acquired at home due to lack of proper food safety and handling. In order to kill micro-organisms, one must cook food right up to at least 74 degrees Celsius for at least two minutes.
These are some of the hints a panel of experts gave at a meeting held at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday night, to launch a safe food campaign.
Aiming to raise the level of awareness and remove any misconceptions on food safety techniques, the panel recommended five steps to protect food — Thoroughly wash your hands before handling food, keep raw food and cooked food separate from each other, store food at safe temperatures, cook thoroughly and use safe water and raw materials. The campaign has been launched by Albaik Food Systems Company Ltd.
Dr. Rufaida H. Khashoggi, associate professor of the nutrition department at King Abdul Aziz University, gave an overview of the campaign and the content of the seminars and workshops that will be part of the drive. Dr. Khalid A. Al-Madani, vice president of the Saudi Society for Food and Nutrition and consultant clinic nutrition, highlighted the importance of public interest in campaigns of this type.
“Food safety is an especially important subject in a country with a hot and, in some regions, humid climate, where harmful bacteria and germs breed and spread fast unless the strictest attention is paid to hygiene. Without following basic food safety elements, issues can occur that can affect the wellbeing of individuals,” Rami Abu Ghazaleh, CEO of Albaik Food Systems Ltd., said.
“By applying the five steps, everyone can be confident that they’re following a correct practice and not fall prey to food poisoning and other issues,” he added.
The campaign covers the complete cycle from purchasing foodstuffs and the correct way of storing different types of food, to hygienic preparation and serving of food. Apart from the high importance attached to personal hygiene, the campaign reminds consumers of the need to regularly check shelf-life expiry dates and emphasizes the risks that can arise when foodstuffs being delivered to stores and restaurants are left in areas without air-conditioning or refrigeration. “In such cases, deterioration occurs rapidly and this is not only a risk to consumers but can affect the taste and quality of the foodstuffs,” Ghazaleh said.
The campaign, which is scheduled to run for several months, includes a series of seminars and workshops, a website, and food safety tips that will be broadcast on the radio. A food safety campaign roadshow will tour the Kingdom, visiting malls and other public areas, and booklets will be distributed at the roadshow events and will also be available at Albaik restaurant outlets.
