The Department of Food Safety in the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) will conduct the ‘Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene Basic Course’ in June at the Trade Zone of the Department of Food Safety of IAM, located on the first floor of Iao Hon Hawkers’ Building on 25 July 2019 (Thursday). The teaching contents are mainly tailored to the needs of food establishments and takeaways in catering industry so as to enhance their food safety knowledge. It is a free two-hour course, and welcomes for the industry and public to enroll.  Upon completion of the course, participants will be awarded a certificate of attendance.

With a firm commitment to advocate food safety education, IAM provides comprehensive educational resources and on-the-job training for food workers and industry in Macao in order to enhance the standards of food safety and hygiene adopted by the industry in the long run. From 2019, the ‘Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene Basic Course’ is regularly held on the last Thursday of every month. The food safety and hygiene guidelines as teaching materials are supplemented by ‘Guidelines on Hygiene Practices for Food Handling in Food Premises and Takeaways’, which cover many keys of food safety precautions, such as food procurement, storage, handling methods, personal hygiene, that are often ignored in daily operation. In addition, a concise guide compiled by IAM, ‘Five Keys to Food Safety in ABCDE’, is available in multiple languages and incorporated into the course. The ‘Five Keys’ refer to Avoid Cross-Contamination, Buy Right, Clean and Cook Completely, Danger Temperature Zone and Efforts to Maintain Food Safety of Macao. People from different languages and cultural backgrounds can learn about these important aspects of food safety then use it into daily practice for cooking and food preparation. It aims to disseminate the effective ways to prevent and reduce the risk of foodborne diseases. Moreover, the course also introduces the main contents of ‘Food Safety Law’ to deepen the industry's understanding of their responsibilities and obligations stipulated in the law. We encourage the food industry to maintain good communication with the government, and notify any potential food hazards, which are crucial to improving food safety in Macao.

Furthermore, when food establishments are in poor hygiene conditions, for examples, foods and other items are stored unsuitably, and garbage is handled improperly, it creates opportunities for rat harbourage and causes rodent infestation. Thus, our course focuses on ways to effectively prevent and control rodents in order to raise awareness of environmental hygiene and rodent control in the food industry. Upon completion of the course, participants will be awarded a certificate of attendance. The teaching material, ‘Guidelines on Hygiene Practices for Food Handling in Food Premises and Takeaways’, has been uploaded to the Food Safety Information website and its mobile app for the public to obtain easily.

The ‘Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene Basic Course’ will be held in Cantonese at 3:00 p.m. on 25 July, 2019 (Thursday) in the Food Safety office of IAM on the first floor of Iao Hon Hawkers’ Building. Interested members in the food industry and the public can download the application form from the Food Safety Information website (www.foodsafety.gov.mo), fill it out and submit by 22 July 2019 via email (dir-info@iam.gov.mo ), fax (8296 9948) or in person during office hours to the Trade Zone of the Department of Food Safety of IAM, located on the first floor of Iao Hon Hawkers’ Building or any Public Services Centres of IAM. The course is free of charge and there is limited quota for enrolment on a first come, first served basis. For enquiry, please call 8296 9854 or 8296 9951 during office hours.