Food Security And Pondokan For Hajj Pilgrims Are Guaranteed By The Ministry Of Health

Food for Hajj Pilgrims (ist)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Health formed a Food Sanitation and Security Team in the implementation of Hajj in 1445 H/2024 AD. The Food Sanitation and Security Team is tasked with directly ensuring that the housing for Hajj pilgrims is livable and guarantees food for Hajj pilgrims is suitable for consumption.

They must conduct Environmental Health Inspection (IKL) in catering and accommodation for Hajj pilgrims.

"All referrals are checked by looking at several rooms of pilgrims as examples. Findings from the Environmental Health Inspection in case of non-standard matters are reported to the leadership of the Hajj organization to be evaluated," said Hajj Health Head dr. Indro Murwoko in a statement received in Jakarta, Saturday, May 18.

Indro explained that IKL to referrals is an effort to prevent disease caused by environmental factors. He added that the IKL carried out was in the form of observation and direct inspection of the environment which includes temperature, air standards, room lighting, environmental cleanliness, and waste treatment.

So far, he said, the accommodation intended for pilgrims looks comfortable and the distance from the hotel to the Prophet's Mosque starts from 50 meters to about 350 meters.

As for the supervision of food for pilgrims, said Indro, it is certain that the food distributed is suitable for consumption. Every day, the Sanitation and Food Safety Team will get an example of food that will be consumed by pilgrims to be tested for the organolyptic test method which includes testing taste, smell, texture, and color.

According to him, with this test, the risk of food damage can be detected so that it can be avoided before being consumed by pilgrims.

In addition to food samples, he said, IKL is also carried out on food service providers or catering. Monitoring of catering begins with the receipt, storage, and processing of foodstuffs, as well as food packaging, to distribution. IKL to ensure catering has carried out all these processes according to standards and on time.

"In addition to the taste of food, cleanliness and safety of the ingredients of these foods, it is also very important. Therefore, supervision is carried out starting from preparing food by catering to being accepted by pilgrims for consumption," he said.