TWENTY-THREE women entrepreneur-members of the Rural Improvement Club of the villages of Dita and Lubigan have gained more knowledge and skills on food safety techniques for cassava chip production.
They participated in a recent seminar organized by United States Agency for International Development's Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth with Equity (USAid-Surge) Project held in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the City Agriculturist Office.
Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar said the women entrepreneurs learned the basics of food safety hazards (biological, chemical, physical and allergen), food-borne illness, and basic food hygiene including topics on sanitary permits, health certificates, and quality and protection of food.
She said they also learned about the proper design of facilities, equipment, ventilation, control of operation, maintenance and sanitation, personnel hygiene, transportation, product information, and consumer awareness.
As next steps, the Rural Improvement Club will create food safety committees, undergo food risk assessment, and designate food safety officers for Dita and Lubigan villages.
Cassava is one of Zamboanga City's priority agriculture commodities. (SunStar Zamboanga)