Over 140 employees at the day centres for people with a disability were presented with a certificate in food-handling yesterday, after successfully completing a training programme. Through this training initiative, all front-liners at the day centres will be fully licensed to handle food.

The course included sessions on food safety and hygiene in relation to food preparation, food poisoning, legal requirements for food business operators and food handlers, the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system for ensuring the safety of food, food safety hazards and preventive

measures.

This is the first time that these members of staff have undergone such training, as a result of which the participants will be licensed for the next five years. This training is now a requirement for all day centre staff, as part of their everyday work includes the preparation of snacks for lunch breaks at the centres.

Apart from this, 23 new employees were also presented with a certificate for completing their induction training, which is part of the requirements in order to begin their work at the day centres. This helps each employee to be familiar with all centres and with the procedures regarding daily client handling.

There are nine day centres for people with a disability in Malta. The aim of these centres is to help those with a disability to continue developing their potential through different types of activities while at the same time supporting their families so that such people can continue living within the community without being socially isolated, thus empowering them to live independently.