Food and Drug Administration: Health regulations prohibit the sale of meat products and their derivatives in school canteens.

The General Food and Drug Administration confirmed that the health requirements and instructions regulating the handling and sale of food items in school canteens prohibit the handling, preparation, or sale of products containing meat and its processed and unprocessed derivatives such as shawarma, burgers, sausages, mortadella, and others in school canteens.

 

According to a circular issued by the Foundation to the Ministry of Education, it is necessary to circulate it to all education directorates and directors of public and private schools to emphasize full compliance with the above, in addition to emphasizing that only school canteens are allowed to trade dry and packaged food items that are approved by the Foundation and the Ministry of Health, such as: biscuits, canned juices, long-life milk, fruits, dates, packaged nuts, and mineral water.

The institution also recommended in its circular, stressing the need to include these health requirements within the conditions of school canteen tenders, with the formation of joint committees to follow up and ensure full compliance with the instructions issued by the institution.

The institution stressed that its specialized monitoring and inspection teams, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health staff, are carrying out surprise and intensive inspection campaigns on school canteens with the aim of ensuring the provision of safe and healthy food for students, and ensuring that school canteens comply with the highest food safety standards in accordance with the approved legislation and instructions, under penalty of taking the necessary legal measures against violators, which may include closing the canteen and referring violators to the judiciary in accordance with the provisions of the law.