AMMAN - Health authorities on Tuesday distributed posters displaying food safety and hygiene guidelines to shawerma outlets around the country in a concerted effort to safeguard public health.
The posters, produced by the Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) and circulated to officials of all health directorates yesterday, provide specific points on operating standards and conditions under which these eateries should serve meals.
JFDA Director General Mohammad Rawashdeh said the plan is part of an overall strategy designed to step up food safety procedures at these restaurants and protect customers.
"We have been working to ensure that all the necessary measures are being taken to inform both workers and consumers of these guidelines and their responsibilities," Rawashdeh said.
"The JFDA and other health officials bear a responsibility, but it should also be shouldered by clients and shop workers, which we hope to achieve with such awareness," he added.
The posters lay out clear guidelines on several issues such as general hygiene practices as well as conditions in which the meals should be served and stored.
For example, it instructs customers to ensure that the shawerma stand is inside the parameters of the shop, the chicken, coleslaw and mayonnaise are refrigerated and that workers use tongs, and not their hands, to place the sliced chicken on the bread.
The poster also reminds employees that they will be held legally accountable for using day-old chicken, salad or mayonnaise.
Consumers are also asked to ensure that no fat dripping from the chicken is added to the sandwich and that workers are wearing a uniform and a cap.
Rawashdeh said extensive efforts have been under way over the past few months to tighten controls on food safety standards at restaurants and food establishments and ensure that the required policies and regulations are in place.
These include intensifying inspections on food outlets across the country in cooperation with the Health Ministry, and conducting training workshops on hygiene and food safety practices for food handlers.
Director of the food directorate at JFDA Fathi Saleh told the press yesterday that despite these extensive efforts, incidents of contamination and food poisoning cannot be avoided 100 per cent.
"There are around 70,000 food establishments in the country with around four workers each for 300,000 consumers," Saleh said.
"A simple act of neglecting hygiene can easily cause contamination and food poisoning," he added.
According to Saleh, sometimes it is also a case of making a profit at the expense of public safety.
Citing the latest outbreak of food poisoning that caused more than 200 people to fall ill in Baqaa camp, Saleh said the restaurant owner had been selling shawermas with undercooked chicken to meet the high demand that day.
According to a JFDA source, the outlet had received a clean bill of health from the JFDA during an inspection four days earlier.
There are 23 field inspectors responsible for checking 45,000 food establishments in the capital everyday. Health Ministry inspectors work in coordination with the JFDA by covering eateries in other governorates and municipalities.
The JFDA acknowledged the shortage of inspectors, as well as weak coordination between the relevant entities and the absence of a standardised inspection procedure.
Saleh said the administration was working to address these shortcomings under a new plan that seeks to upgrade the skills of inspectors, standardise their work procedures and improve lab operations.
The JFDA is also working closely with the Greater Amman Municipality, the Health Ministry and ASEZA to coordinate efforts and reduce duplication.
The JFDA and the Health Ministry have also been conducting awareness workshops on food safety and hygiene for food handlers from the Jordan Restaurant Owners Association.
Saleh, however, said he was disappointed and "concerned" about the low turnout at these workshops.
He said the JFDA is looking into making such training obligatory for those planning to work in the food industry, and will make the recommendation to the Prime Ministry.
By Dalya Dajani
© Jordan Times 2007
