As part of its keenness to ensure the health and safety of the community, Dubai Municipality is overseeing 72,108 mandatory hygiene supervisors in the food establishments of the emirate. The Municipality has initiated the implementation of the Hygiene Supervisor Programme in all food establishments in Dubai as one of the best international practices. It has been proactive in this field at the local and regional level.
“The hygiene supervisors are subject to specialised training courses by Dubai Municipality at three levels according to the activities of the food establishments and their classifications (high, medium, and low risk), and a certificate is awarded after successfully passing the test to exercise their roles and responsibilities,” said Jehaina Hassan Al Ali, Acting Manager, Permits and Applied Nutrition Section.
Dubai Municipality ensures that the food safety standards are applied through inspections as the safe, proper and healthy operation of any food establishment is its goal, she added.
“We confirm the commitment of all food establishments, to authorise a responsible hygiene supervisor, who has received appropriate training and holds a certificate in food safety. This hygiene supervisor could be the Person In Charge (PIC), who effectively manages food safety practices in the establishment and is responsible for all employees and customers of the establishment following the established policies and procedures to ensure food safety,” said Al Ali.
“The role of the hygiene supervisor, who is the link between establishment and Dubai Municipality, is to supervise all daily operations related to the safety of preparing, displaying and transporting food with an inspection checklist approved by the Municipality’s Food Safety Department and share daily reports via the interactive Foodwatch platform. The supervisor should also follow up the application of the necessary corrective measures in case there are violations monitored by the responsible inspector during routine inspection visits and should also communicate with the inspector what action has been taken through the smart inspection system,” she explained.
It is also one of the roles of the hygiene supervisor to train the employees of the food establishment about the basics of food hygiene and safety and adhering to the conditions issued by Dubai Municipality, Al Ali pointed out.
“The Hygiene Supervisor Programme experience has achieved excellent results, as the Municipality statistics show that the hygiene evaluation levels of the establishments have been very high in the inspection system. It is noted that the percentage of food establishments that have a rating of A and B has been increased. This is one of the main objectives of the implementation of the programme, in addition to the responsibilities of the hygiene supervisor in implementing food safety management systems,” she said.