UAE Boosts Awareness on Safe School Lunch Bags

Summary

A workshop in Ras Al Khaimah aimed at enhancing the safety of school lunch boxes: guidelines for preparation, storage, and planning to raise family awareness and involve children in ensuring safe and balanced meals.

The Emirates Society for Social Development recently hosted an informative workshop entitled “School Lunch Boxes for Students” at its headquarters in Ras Al Khaimah. In collaboration with the local Ministry of Health and Prevention office, the session was delivered by food safety specialist Amina Said Ghazlan. This initiative forms part of the association’s ongoing efforts to support families and promote healthy practices within the community.

Timed to coincide with preparations for the new academic year, the workshop aimed to raise family awareness about the critical importance of food safety in school meals. It sought to enhance daily practices that contribute to providing students with safe and balanced meals, thereby supporting their health, energy levels, and capacity to concentrate and learn throughout the school day.

Amina Ghazlan addressed several practical guidelines for preparing school lunch boxes, covering everything from selecting suitable foods to proper packing and transportation techniques. She emphasised the need to maintain the quality and safety of meals from preparation until they are consumed, highlighting the importance of considering food types and the duration they remain outside the home.

The session also underscored the significance of pre-planning meals and choosing ingredients that meet students’ needs during their school day. It aimed to increase parents’ awareness about practices that can prevent food spoilage and maintain meal quality.

Furthermore, the workshop illustrated the essential dietary habits that children acquire within the family unit and the influence of parents in modelling positive behaviours that encourage children to opt for healthy food choices, thus making these healthful practices part of their daily lives.

Additionally, the importance of involving children, appropriate to their ages, in selecting components of their lunch boxes was emphasised, fostering their nutritional awareness and instilling a sense of responsibility regarding their food choices within the supportive framework of family guidance and supervision.

In his remarks, Khalaf Salem bin Anber, Director General of the Emirates Society for Social Development, asserted that attention to children’s health begins at home, highlighting that the details of daily life can significantly impact their quality of life. He reiterated that creating a healthy and safe environment for children is a shared responsibility that requires cooperation among families, health institutions, educational organisations, and the community at large.