Female officials attend the training of trainers on gender-responsible food safety held in HCM City from February 19 to 21.— VNS Photo Nguyễn Diệp

HCM CITY — Nearly 40 female officials from 17 southern provinces and cities attended a three-day training programme for trainers on gender-responsible food safety in HCM City.

Held from February 19 to 21, the training aimed to equip the Women's Union officials at the provincial and city levels with the skills and knowledge in gender-responsible food safety, enabling them to lead behavioural change regarding food safety and to promote the implementation of food safety policies in their localities.

It is part of the Safe Food for Growth Project (SAFEGRO) funded by Global Affairs Canada.

The participants were from the Women's Unions of HCM City, Cần Thơ city, and the provinces of Bình Thuận, Tây Ninh, Đồng Nai, Bình Dương, Bình Phước, Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu, Kiên Giang, Bến Tre, Vĩnh Long, Long An, Tiền Giang, Sóc Trăng, Bạc Liêu, Hậu Giang and Trà Vinh.

Phùng Thị Yến, a Gender Advisor of the SAFEGRO Project, said the SAFEGRO Project is implemented by the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Industry and Trade and relevant agencies.

The project seeks to enhance the Vietnamese population’s access to safe and competitive agri-food products, with an aim to improve the well-being of female and male consumers as well as other agri-food sector actors.

One of the project’s expected outcomes is an increase in consumer awareness, particularly among women, of the critical importance of food safety and their rights to have access to and availability of affordable, safe agri-food products in Việt Nam.

Upon completing the course, participants are expected to clearly understand the fundamental principles of food safety, gender-responsive approaches, feminist approach, gender responsibility, and inclusivity in food safety.

They can present the principles of gender-sensitive food safety communication planning, she said.

They will be equipped with skills to lead change, inspire others, and coach in food safety activities.

“They are expected to apply the training contents and proactively carry out initiatives to improve food safety in their localities this year,” she said.

Participants receive a certificate of completion of the training of trainers on gender-responsible food safety held in HCM City on February 21. — VNS Photo Nguyễn Diệp

One of the participant, Trần Thị Phương Thắm, 33, an official of Đồng Nai Province’s Women's Union, said over the three-day course she can apply food safety principles in supervising food safety programmes and in selecting pre-packaged foods.

She has also mastered the skills needed to utilise tools and methods for gender-sensitive food safety communication.

“Now I can design a gender-responsible food safety training framework to retrain local Women's Union officials in their localities,” she said.

On the last day of the course, the participants shared their practical experiences and received a certificate of course completion from the organisers. — VNS