Health card must for productive families

JEDDAH — Health card is mandatory for productive families for the preparation and sale of food items, according to Jeddah Municipality. Sami Al-Ghamdi, director of public relations at the municipality, said the card has to be secured after obtaining license to engage in preparation of food for sale at home. “Saudi women who hold the license can approach the women’s section of the municipality for the health card,” Al-Watan newspaper reported quoting the official. Al-Ghamdi said the license holders shall submit a filled application form that may be downloaded from the municipality’s website. The productive women should show the health card to the customers whenever demanded. The card’s validity is one year. Productive families from across the Kingdom have been granted license to engage in preparation and sale of food from their homes following an order issued by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs in 2012. A large number of Saudi women have benefited from this and were able to improve their financial condition, thus contributing to the nation’s development. According to Al-Ghamdi, it is mandatory for the productive families to undergo a three-day training and awareness program on hygiene and food safety, and they have to pay SR500 for this. Completion of the course is a prerequisite for obtaining the health card, he added. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, spokesman for health affairs at the municipality, said medical tests will be carried out at the Health Ministry laboratories prior to issuing the health card. The productive families project was launched as a pioneering program to support the traditional products made by Saudi women from their home. The project seeks to empower women economically and contribute to raising living standards of Saudi families. Meanwhile, nutritionist Dr. Rowaida Idris said millions of people are suffering from contagious diseases caused by contaminated food intake every year worldwide. “Some viruses and bacteria spread to food from human beings. There are more than 250 types of diseases contracted through unhygienic and contaminated food, and these include the deadly hepatitis A,” she said, adding that all those engaged in preparing food at home for sale shall obtain a health card to ensure that they are free of any such diseases.