Dubai Municipality has launched "My School Food," a comprehensive digital platform revolutionizing food safety and nutrition in educational institutions. This initiative introduces stricter guidelines, a new website, and an AI chatbot, aiming to foster healthier eating habits for over 400,000 students across 500+ schools, nurseries, and universities.
A New Era for School Canteens
The "My School Food" platform, unveiled at the third Dubai Food Safety Forum, is designed to create a robust ecosystem for all stakeholders, including caterers, educational institutions, parents, teachers, and students. Dr. Sultan Ali Al Taher, Director of the Food Safety Department, emphasized the mission to provide the healthiest food in Dubai schools and combat childhood obesity.
Enhanced Guidelines and Nutritional Focus
The "Enhanced Dubai Food and Nutrition Guidelines and Requirements for Educational Institutions" introduce stringent criteria for school canteens:
- Calorie Counting and Portion Control: Requirements for calorie counting, per serving size, and meal and age percentage criteria to ensure clear portion control and consistent labeling.
- Nutrient-Rich Choices: Promotion of nutrient-rich foods, emphasizing healthier dietary choices.
- Specific Dietary Requirements: Increased fiber, reduced added sugars, promotion of water intake, and regulation of coffee and tea consumption.
- Food Safety and Hygiene: Maintaining good personal hygiene, preventing illness transmission, allergen management, and implementing food safety controls.
- Green Canteens: Encouraging sustainable menus, locally sourced food, reduced food waste, and avoidance of single-use packaging.
Empowering Stakeholders with Technology
The platform offers tailored resources for various user groups:
- Teachers: Guidelines on common nutrition challenges and lesson plans.
- Parents: Access to educational courses and healthy recipes.
- Food Suppliers/Caterers: Interactive video sessions and downloadable learning materials in multiple languages.
- Students: Gamified tutorials and activities on food safety and nutrition.
Further enhancing accessibility is "Ghalia," an AI Chatbot providing instant, interactive guidance on nutrition-related queries. The entire "My School Food" system is integrated into DM Checked, the revamped "Food Watch" digital platform.
New Roles and Auditing Systems
Dubai Municipality has introduced the "Nutrition in Charge" (NIC) role in schools, similar to the Person in Charge (PIC) for food safety in food establishments. This role ensures compliance with new nutritional mandates. A key feature is the school food audit system, requiring monthly audits for all catering companies supplying food to schools, conducted by a designated NIC.
- Real-time Monitoring: An interactive Dubai map shows real-time school nutrition compliance.
- Built-in Checklist: Guides schools through nutrition compliance.
- Downloadable Reports: Provides documentation for audits and menu feedback.
This real-time monitoring allows food inspectors to track audit history and base evaluations on this data.
Science in Action: Dubai Food Safety Forum
The initiative was launched during the Dubai Food Safety Forum, held on World Food Safety Day under the theme "Food Safety: Science in Action." The forum explored the role of science in food safety policymaking and risk management. Dr. Ahmed Mokhtar of the FAO lauded Dubai Municipality’s initiative, stating, "It is a brilliant initiative which takes both food safety and nutrition together based on science and its application."