To see unhygienic practices being followed in a kitchen is shocking even for the average person who is not familiar with the different types of hazards that can eventually compromise the safety of food. Luckily, for those of us residing in the UAE, individual municipalities have taken laudable initiatives to safeguard the interest of the public and render food safe for consumption. The approach is three-pronged: enforcing rules and regulations, creating awareness and facilitating training and learning of different aspects of food safety.

Dubai Municipality’s Person-In-Charge program
The approach of Dubai Municipality is simple and practical; roping in the management of food businesses and making one person accountable for food safety in the establishment. The Person-In-Charge can be the owner of the business, a shift leader, chef, manager or any individual who holds authority over employees who engage in the storage, preparation, display, or service of foods.

The PIC program which is in place since January 2011, came about following the municipality’s realization that it is not enough for just food handlers to know about food safety. “Often, food handlers find it difficult to put into practice what they have learned in the trainings because of the lack of facilities or encouragement from the management,” said Khalid Sharif  Al Awadhi, director of Dubai Municipality’s Food Control Department.

The Person-In-Charge program will help to tighten the municipality’s control over food businesses as food inspectors will now be able to provide recommendations for corrective actions for violations found during the inspections to the person who is responsible for liaising with the government. The Person-In-Charge will be trained and certified in food safety and has to be present on the premises throughout the working hours.

The training of PICs will include basic food hygiene principles and practices. “The most important part will be that of ‘self inspection’ where the PICs will be taught to inspect their own establishment.

PIC training and certification by Awarding Bodies HABC and TSI-QS

Dubai Municipality has entered into agreements with Awarding Bodies to provide accredited PIC management programmes for trainers from food safety training organisations. Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance (HABC) and TSI Quality Services (TSI-QS), have both secured accreditation from the Dubai Accreditation Centre (DAC). TSI-QS and HABC have certified a growing number of trainers who are now offering PIC courses in different locations.

According to a statement by Khalid Sharif, over 200 food establishments have already sent their staff for PIC training. Richard Sprenger, international food safety expert and chairman of Highfield.co.uk Ltd, said that about 10,000 to 20,000 personnel will have to undergo the PIC training in order to cover all the food establishments in Dubai. “Larger establishment may find the need to appoint more than one PIC. For instance, a hotel with five restaurants may need 10 PICs to cover different shifts,” he said.

Food safety courses in level two and level three are being offered for PICs and the level for the PIC training courses will be dependent on the nature of the outlet and the skills required from the staff.“The course level is decided by the skills required,the nature of their business and the type of risk associated with the food. Managers of cafeterias may need level two certification training where as a restaurant may require a level three training and certification,” said Bobby Krishna, Dubai Municipality’s Senior Food Studies and Surveys Officer.

“The managers of restaurants are expected to know more about food safety than a manager in a cafeteria because a restaurant handles several cooked food items that are prepared in advance and sometimes go through refrigeration and reheating process after cooking. The risk associated with food-borne diseases always goes up with the number of processing steps,” stated Krishna.

While the regulations and the inspection system are the same for both the levels of training, PICs of level two have the advantage of learning things in their own language. “Desktop Inspection” is an innovative aspect of the training programme of both the levels that provides the candidate to go through an “inspection simulation” using a computer. It assists the candidates to spot the food safety risks with the help of photographs within their establishments and show them corrective actions to be taken.

Dubai Municipality has developed a handbook with the PIC Awarding Bodies containing guidelines for PICs. Richard Sprenger, who assisted Dubai Municipality in developing a handbook containing guidelines for PICs, states that the PIC course objective is to provide much more than a qualification. “The PIC programme is not just a qualification but a program to ensure that not only people get the necessary information and knowledge, but that it is implemented, monitored and independently evaluated.”

Abdul Jaleel, General Manager of HABC, said the guidebook is tailor-made for food businesses in Dubai with details of food safety risks associated with the type and cuisine most popular in Dubai.

The handbook book represents a comprehensive food safety reference. Dr Joanne Taylor, Training Director of TSI UK, has authored several books on food safety but believes the PIC handbook to have several important benefits. “By linking food safety information directly to specific government guidance, this shows businesses not only what to do, but why to do it, and how it provides legal compliance. With a government logo on the book, it becomes a credible and consistent source of information for managers, trainers and inspectors. It will enable improvements to communication and understanding on all sides,” she says.

TSI Quality Services (TSI-QS) is an accredited Awarding Body, HACCP Certification Body and government consultant, and is approved by Dubai Municipality Food Control Department as a PIC Awarding Body.

TSI-QS provides PIC qualifications, certifies and monitors trainers and independently evaluates PICs. “The program involves the training and certification of key individuals who will take the lead in food safety for their business and represent an important link between their operation and DM FCD,” said Dave Shannon, operations director at TSI-QS.

The TSI-QS PIC pilot ran from December 2010 to January 2011, and PICs scored an average exam result of 82 percent, reflecting well on the performance of all involved, including the pilot training companies which include AFS by Specifico & Co, Dubai Men’s College and MRS Food Training Services.

According to Shannon, TSI-QS PIC qualifications focus on highly interactive training materials which have been developed with extensive input from psychologists. TSI-QS also provides an option for PIC candidates to gain internationally recognized food safety qualifications from the UK University of Chester, qualifications linked to GHP and HACCP food safety management systems such as Menu-Safe, a GHP food safety system and record-keeping diary for every PIC and a dedicated PIC website providing free PIC downloads.

Shannon further adds: “By providing extra components such as GHP systems, TSI-QS is giving PICfurther s tools that will facilitate their work. This also drives consistency across our projects in other emirates and countries: trainers and clients with cross-border operations can use similar solutions.”