Khaberni - The General Food and Drug Administration confirmed that the health requirements and instructions regulating the handling and selling of foodstuffs in school canteens prohibit the handling, preparation, or sale of products containing meats and their processed and unprocessed derivatives such as: shawarma, burgers, sausages, sinyora, mortadella, and others in school canteens.
According to a memorandum directed by the institution to the Ministry of Education, it is necessary to circulate it to all education directorates and directors of public and private schools to ensure full compliance with the above, in addition to confirming the allowance for school canteens to only handle pre-packaged dry food items approved by the institution and the Ministry of Health, such as: biscuits, canned juices, long-life milk, fruits, dates, packaged nuts, and mineral water.
In its memorandum, the institution also recommended ensuring the inclusion of these health requirements in the canteen tender conditions, with the formation of joint committees to follow up and ensure full compliance with the instructions issued by the institution.
The institution emphasized that its specialized monitoring and inspection teams, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health staff, carry out sudden and intensive inspection campaigns on school canteens to ensure the provision of safe and healthy food to students and to ensure that school canteens comply with the highest food safety standards according to approved legislations and instructions, under penalty of taking the necessary legal actions against offenders, which may include closing the canteen and referring offenders to the judiciary in accordance with the provisions of the law.
