Fatima Muhammad Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — The Municipality of Jeddah launched an initiative to train education officers to check that food provided at schools is safe. The training is provided in cooperation with the Department of Education in Jeddah and the municipality's licensing and market monitoring department. The head of the training academy at the municipality, Faisal Al-Malki, said the local authority started training the officers last week on a phased basis. The training is for Education Department employees who will learn how to effectively monitor the safety of food provided at schools. This initiative is in line with the directives of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs that municipalities are to monitor the company providing food while the education departments are to monitor the safety of meals provided at schools. Fatima Al-Marzouk, a nutritionist, said that up to 60 percent of youth between the ages of 16 and 23 are suffering from obesity. She said this was due to the unsuitable breakfasts provided to them at their schools and universities because of their high calorie content. Breakfast, she noted, is an essential meal that contributes to organizing the eating schedule for the rest of the day and also increases the studying capacity of students. Eating more carbohydrates and fast food puts students at a high risk of diabetes if these fats are not being burned through exercise. Despite the introduction of a uniform menu, some schools, especially private ones, still provide individual menus that offer fast food, chips, sweets and a variety of sugary beverages. Basma Al-Ghamdi, a high school student, said she prefers to buy her breakfast from school as she can get a sandwich of her choice and a juice. “I can also get cookies or some chips to help me remain functional during our long day." Al-Ghamdi said her only problem with the school is the high prices for food. Majida Ali, a mother, prefers to prepare lunchboxes for her two young children. “I am not sure of the quality of the food provided at school, let alone the high prices that schools charge.”
