USJ-R canteen concessionaires undergo food safety orientation

CEBU CITY–Sixty-one representatives of the concessionaires in USJ-R were oriented on food safety practices and existing school policies to ensure efficient canteen operations.

The activity was conducted on July 21 at the Main Audio Visual Room (AVR).

Local Health Officer Shaira Camille Labastida of the Department of Health-7 primarily discussed the tenets of Department of Education Order No. 13 which is also known as the Policy and Guidelines on Healthy Food and Beverage Choices in Schools.

Read: Deped Order No. 13 series of 2017

The order includes the prohibition of selling products categorized as ‘red’ by DepEd.

Labastida said that it is important to serve nutritious food in the canteen to prevent a rise in the number of individuals affected by non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

Read: New menu for school canteens? Here’s what DepEd wants kids to eat

Proper food handling, she added, must always be observed. To address this, she shared specific practices in the kitchen to uphold sanitation standards and prevent food contamination.

Nurse Janet Chiong, who serves as canteen inspector, presented to the audience a list of the things that she regularly checks as part of the university’s food safety system.

Even if the concessionaires serve different campuses, the policies and guidelines for food safety are the same.