Al-Tayf Dairy and Food Products Company (Candia) sponsored a workshop organized by the Palestinian Society for Consumer Protection at the Carmel Hotel on the occasion of World Food Safety Day, which falls on the seventh of June each year under the title "Modern Food Regulatory Systems to Ensure Food Safety." The workshop was attended by and featured the participation of Dr. Majid Abu Ramadan the Palestinian Minister of Health, Ms. Taghreed Salem from the Palestinian Standards Institution, Mr. Bassam Abu Ghalyoun from the Food Industries Union, Mr. Alaa Esawi representing Al-Tayf Dairy and Food Products Company (Candia), Dr. Mohammad Al-Tamimi from the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine at An-Najah University, Dr. Wissam Samara and Dr. Sabri Saghir from the Faculty of Agriculture at Al-Khalil University, Dr. Ziad Ayad from the Food Engineering Department at Al-Quds University, Ms. Malvina Al-Jamal from the Health and Environment Department at the Ramallah Municipality, Mr. Bilal Amous from the Examination Labs at Birzeit University, and Mr. Issa Al-Baitoni, a quality expert, in addition to expert Ali Badarna from UNIDO and international expert Sami Godefroy from Canada via Zoom.
During the workshop, various topics and issues related to food safety were addressed, including raising awareness among citizens about food safety issues, outlining preventive methods for symptoms through food safety, discussing collaborative approaches to improving food safety across sectors, and enhancing solutions and methods for ensuring food safety.
Dr. Majid Abu Ramadan, the Palestinian Minister of Health, stated, "Food safety is not only an individual responsibility but a national duty that requires the cooperation of all relevant parties and citizens alike, which brings us together today along with relevant entities in this important workshop." He added,
"Because the Palestinian citizen is always our top priority, we realize that maintaining his health and safety requires a comprehensive and integrated approach. At the Ministry of Health, we are committed to continuing to work to improve food safety by taking numerous measures and measures aimed at their application and enhancement. We have more than 100 health inspectors, in addition to collecting more than 14,000 samples each year for accurate and targeted analysis because we fully understand that every citizen has the right to safe and healthy food." He emphasized the need for each party to play its role and work on this important issue, specifically the consumer who must be fully aware and culturally competent in food safety.
Imad Al-Hindi, the General Manager of Al-Tayf Dairy and Food Products Company (Candia), said, "The sponsorship of this workshop by Al-Tayf Dairy Company comes from our deep commitment to our citizens by making every effort to enhance the issue of food safety and raise awareness about it," praising the role of the Palestine Society for Consumer Protection and its continuous efforts in caring for everything related to the safety of the Palestinian citizen and consumer.
Al-Hindi pointed out, "We, at Al-Tayf Dairy and Food Products Company (Candia), fully understand that quality and safety are not just a legal commitment but an ethical responsibility towards our community. In our factories, we ensure the implementation of a series of measures and procedures required to provide a product with the highest safety and quality standards at all stages of production, reaching the consumer," emphasizing the company's continued efforts to achieve the highest levels of quality and food safety to provide the best for the Palestinian citizen.
Salah Haniya, the President of the Palestinian Society for Consumer Protection, said, "World Food Safety Day annually reminds us of the need to enhance our efforts to secure safe food for our citizens and to disseminate the subject of food safety among citizens and their food sources and to raise awareness about it," indicating that the Palestinian Society for Consumer Protection continues its efforts to raise the awareness of citizens about their food safety and continuous supervision of all stages of the food production chain in factories and related companies." Haniya added that food safety requires joint efforts from all parties in society, and the association continues to coordinate with government, non-governmental, and private sector entities to enhance joint efforts to achieve its goal of ensuring the safety of food products and materials. He stressed, "The Palestinian consumer must enjoy all international standards of food safety, and we will continue to work on awareness, integration, and partnership with all parties and sectors to preserve this right, and we still aspire to achieve and commit to it."
Haniya thanked Al-Tayf Dairy and Food Products Company (Candia) for its cooperation and annual sponsorship of World Food Safety Day events, as well as thanking everyone who contributed to the efforts to make the workshop successful, including individuals and institutions.
