A family selects food together at a supermarket in Long Biên District, Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Trần Việt

Khánh Dương & Nguyễn Diệp

HÀ NỘI — During a recent SAFEGRO training workshop on gender-responsive food safety for communication officers, a lecturer showed learners two photographs.

One was of a mother selecting clean vegetables as the father and children are playing. Another image depicts the entire family selecting food in a supermarket together.

“Which photo should be chosen for a food safety communication campaign for wider-spread impacts?” the lecturer asked.

After several debates among trainees, everyone, both male and female, agreed that a photo of the entire family gathering food together should be included.

Women frequently do the shopping and cooking in Vietnamese traditional families. This prejudice creates the social perception that food safety is the concern of women only.

In fact, numerous surveys have revealed that both men and women contribute in different ways to the food production, supply and food safety.

When the training began, the majority of participants were unsure of what gender-responsive food safety meant. However, following a number of practical situations, they have discovered that both men and women must be involved in food safety, while taking into consideration their unique respective roles and responsibilities.

The communication trainer, Tô Quỳnh Mai, emphasised that both women and men play a role in food production and supply as well as in food selection and sales.

Gender sensitivity is important in food safety communication as women are frequently the ones who actually purchase food, prepare meals, and oversee family nutrition. Meanwhile men can be the ones who decide on spending, influencing food choices, she said.

“We should deliver gender-balanced messages in our communication products from text, images and videos. Images have the power to change mindset. We should select gender-balanced images that show both men and women purchasing food, preparing food, and examining food production,” she told the trainees.

Female officials at the training event on gender-responsible food safety held in HCM City in February. — VNS Photo Nguyễn Diệp

As part of the Safe Food for Growth (SAFEGRO) project funded by Global Affairs Canada, many officials from local women’s unions, food safety agencies, preschool teachers and university lecturers nationwide have been equipped with skills and knowledge in food safety.

This has given them the ability to lead behavioural changes related to food safety and promote the implementation of food safety policies in their communities and units.

Gender has been integrated into all of the training courses. Trainees are encouraged to complete a four-hour gender e-learning course developed by SAFEGRO experts before joining in-person training courses.

Each of them was aware of gender transformation and learned how to apply it in their jobs.

Đoàn Huy Dũng, a male officer from Hà Nội’s Sub-Department of Food Safety and Hygiene, said: “I myself have learned about the concept of gender-responsive food safety communication which is quite new to me.”

As an official in charge of the sub-department’s food safety communication, Dũng said his agency has not developed any detailed gender-based analysis nor mainstreaming approaches to food safety.

“After the training, I realised that instead of focusing only on female consumers, we can get men involved in food safety discussions to have more diversified angles. Men’s voices are also important and affect family’s food choice,” he said.

A female official of Yên Bái Province Women’s Union, who asked not to be named, said sometimes the voice of the women’s union, as a member of the local intersectoral inspection committee on food safety, remains overlooked. The gender-responsive food safety training, with its knowledge-based resources, has empowered her voice.

Phùng Thị Yến, SAFEGRO’s gender specialist, said the project aims at enhancing gender perception for women, men and gender identification, particularly promoting gender leadership in food safety value chains. However, depending on participation and quantity of women and men in each node of the food safety value chain, SAFEGRO has different interventions for target groups.

“For instance, men dominate high level positions in food management agencies, so training sessions on gender-responsive food safety for this group were designed to ensure gender awareness. On the other hand, to promote the role of women in leadership, we conducted training courses for senior female leaders from 38 provincial women's unions to strengthen their voice in food safety policies discussion,” she said.

Sharing household chores

Nguyễn Thị Nga, vice principal of Cự Khê Preschool in Thanh Oai District, Hà Nội, joined a series of SAFEGRO's trainings for core preschool teachers on food safety practices.

They learned essential food safety knowledge and Learning-Through-Play skills, linking five key food safety principles to practical behavior change practices for guiding young learners toward safer food handling habits.

She said "I used to tell my children to observe how your mother adopts food safety practices at home. After the gender-responsive food safety course, I and other teachers told the children to observe both their parent’s home food handling and preparation practices."

Safe food handling practices should be shared among family members, she said.

Girls no longer stereotypically wipe the tables and boys set up chairs in the classroom. Boys and girls share all duties, she added.

If parents get children involved in household chores and food safety practices, the effects will be shared among all genders.

Gender e-learning

Yến, SAFEGRO’s gender e-learning programme developer, said “Food safety is rarely mentioned while discussing gender equality; instead, food security and nutrition are frequently brought up.

"In Việt Nam, many individuals still view gender equality as a story of only women. However, gender involves men, women and gender identity. I've been inspired to invest time in creating an online course on gender analysis and mainstreaming approach in food safety by this idea.”

According to her, the sustainable Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) in Canada provided basic concept for the course's development. She has designed content and format to match with gender equality in Việt Nam.

Because gender is a cultural issue, it must be placed in a local context, she said.

Before designing the course, SAFEGRO conducted five gender-based value chain surveys and gender analysis in food safety policies leading to a gender mainstreaming strategy. Through that, she discovered gender issues in food value chains.

The course' participants graduate with foundation knowledge and practical skills on gender analysis, integration into programmes and policies in general and in food safety in particular.

It is expected that gender e-learning is useful for Government officers, development practitioners and anyone who wants to improve their knowledge in terms of gender equality and women empowerment, Yến said. — VNS