Something our seniors look forward to with every visit, it's Chung Wah Community Care lunches, where they can enjoy culturally appropriate, nutritionally balanced and delicious meals. Aside from preparing the menu and the ingredients, our top priority is to ensure food safety and satisfy our clients' appetites. Safe food is crucial to the health of the seniors. Foodborne diseases are usually contagious or toxic and are generally invisible to the naked eye. The cause of infection can be the bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemicals that enter the human body along with contaminated food or water. Therefore, food safety measures must cover the entire food supply chain, including production, processing, storage, transportation, and food handling at the different stages of consumption.
To equip our staff, support workers and volunteers with the related knowledge, Chung Wah CC provides them with internal food safety training. We even went a step further and sought relevant community training resources and certifications for our food safety champions. Last week, under the arrangement of Ishar Multicultural Women's Health Service, the Hub Coordinators of Balcatta and Willeton Community Hubs participated in the FoodSafe training hosted by Environment Health Australia (EHA) and successfully obtained the EHA "FoodSafe - Food Handler Training Program" certificate.
This course helps our food handlers to understand the relevant standards of food safety, hygiene and food allergen control in their daily operations and consists of 7 components:
1. Introduction to Food Safety
2. Personal Hygiene
3. Food Handling and Storage
4. Cleaning
5. Pest Control
6. Food Allergen Declaration
7. Healthy Food Choices
Each unit has an independent assessment. After passing all the assessments, trainees will receive a training certificate. In addition to monitoring the food safety in the hubs, our Hub Directors also play the role of trainers, passing on food safety knowledge to the support workers and volunteers.
Chung Wah has been servicing the WA community since 1909, dedicated to improving the quality of life of individuals from diverse backgrounds. Moreover, Chung Wah CC has over 35 years of professional care experience helping seniors and people with disability improve their well-being and better integrate into the community. In 2023, we're promoting our theme, Embrace, Elevate & Flourish, and build a better community for all.
