ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) recorded significant milestones in its Essential Food Safety Training (EFST) programme during 2025, with 39,000 food handlers across establishments in the emirate completing the training.
This brings the cumulative number of beneficiaries since the programme’s launch in 2008 to nearly 300,000 trained food handlers, and underscores the programme’s pivotal role in enhancing workforce competency and elevating safety practices across Abu Dhabi’s food sector.
This mandatory programme is implemented in accordance with Food Law No. (2) of 2008 and Resolution No. (6) of 2020 on food health, which stipulate the requirement to comply with any training programs issued by ADAFSA. The programme serves as one of ADAFSA’s key regulatory tools for qualifying personnel across all stages of the food chain. It equips food handlers with essential knowledge and skills to apply best hygiene practices, ensuring food safety and protecting consumer health.
In 2025, the programme’s operational framework advanced with the full automation of examination processes through ADAFSA’s Ghars educational platform. This digital transformation enhanced evaluation efficiency, ensured greater accuracy of results, and enabled integrated monitoring of trainee performance. ADAFSA also introduced its first interactive training module in 2025 to support ongoing improvements in training delivery.
The EFST programme comprises four specialised curricula: Catering, Manufacturing, Retail, and Animal Production (Slaughterhouse). Training is delivered through more than 10 accredited training centres and two examination centres, and is offered in five languages: Arabic, English, Hindi, Urdu, and Malayalam, ensuring effective communication with the diverse food sector workforce.
As part of efforts to strengthen partnerships and enhance capacity building, ADAFSA organised a stakeholder gathering in December 2025, bringing together representatives from accredited training and examination centres, and the Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ACTVET). The gathering focused on development opportunities, programme enhancements, and knowledge exchange. ADAFSA also conducted knowledge transfer sessions to upskill accredited trainers and improve training quality.
To ensure continuous improvement, ADAFSA implements a robust monitoring mechanism to assess the programme’s impact. In 2025, the authority conducted 13 evaluation visits to training and examination centres, ensuring adherence to the highest standards of quality, efficiency, and programme effectiveness.
ADAFSA stated that the Essential Food Safety Training programme is a cornerstone of Abu Dhabi’s food safety system, strengthening workforce competency, enhancing consumer confidence, and supporting safe food handling across all stages of the supply chain. The growing demand for the programme reflects the strong commitment of food establishments to adopt best practices, and highlights ADAFSA’s role in building an integrated regulatory and awareness ecosystem that supports the emirate’s quality of life aspirations.