MAYOR of Derry City and Strabane District Council Alderman Hilary McClintock presented food hygiene certificates to members of the local Chinese food business community who successfully completed the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Level 2 Award Course in Food Safety in Catering.
The course ran over 3 weeks and all candidates received a course work book, written in Simplified Chinese.
The course not only included food hygiene training, but also advice on managing the risk of allergies. Over 20 people, representing take-aways and restaurants from across the Council area, sat the exam in December, which comprised 30 multiple choice questions.
Presenting the awards and extending her congratulations, the Mayor, Alderman Hilary McClintock praised everyone involved in the training.
She said: “Commercial food handlers are required by law to be trained in food hygiene and it is obviously important that all workers within the industry have the opportunity to get the training and qualifications they need.
“Chinese food is one of the most popular choices of cuisine in the Derry and Strabane District Council area and there are a growing number of people working within the catering industry who don’t speak English as their first language.
The resultant language barriers can obviously present problems in communication.
The Council has worked in partnership with Sai Pak (The Chinese Welfare Association) to ensure that Chinese workers were able to access food hygiene training and publications in their own language.
By implementing the good food hygiene practices that they have received training in they will not only ensure the safety of their customers, but also protect their businesses,” she explained.
The food safety course was delivered in Mandarin with the assistance of a Chinese interpreter and everyone who participated passed and were presented with a certificate.
