Burning cheese is not made of plastic: Dubai Municipality quash rumours

Social media ever so often throws up footage claiming that the food we eat isn’t good for us. From burgers that do not spoil despite being kept open for days on end, or “worms” that appear in green tea, or, the cheese slices that do not melt, there’s a lot that’s tough to digest.
 
These videos, civic officials in Dubai insist, do not paint the full picture, but scare people unnecessarily.
 
“The food that’s available here has undergone strict safety checks,” Safwan Saifuddin Al Tikarli, Food Planning & Studies Specialist Dubai Municipality, clarified to Emirates 24|7.
 
“I advise residents not to circulate videos without verifying it through proper channels.

“There are many videos like these that are being circulated. These are baseless and false.”
 
Talking about the cheese burning experiment that’s uploaded on numerous social media networks, he clarified that this isn’t the accurate way to determine whether it is safe or not. “There are scientific ways to establish whether a particular type of food is safe. Just burning cheese slices over a lit candle does not prove anything,” he said.
 
Dubai Municipality, through its social media channels, has over time, quashed numerous baseless rumours that surface, and urged residents to clarify with the authorities before sharing such news.
 
Earlier this week, they issued a clarification about Qassim coffee, and how it does not contain toxic or harmful substances.
 
Khalid Mohammed Sharif, executive director of food safety department at Dubai Municipality, explains that they follow strict guidelines over food safety in the UAE.
 
Similarly, there were concerns over Red Bull drink containing harmful amounts of Taurine. Through its instagram page, the civic body clarified, “We urge the public not to be deceived by such rumours.”
 
Then, there were reports of how apple seeds are toxic. “We would like to assure the public that even if they eat the seeds, there won’t be harmed,” it published on their social media networks.
 
Local favourite Vimto also suffered its share of bad reportage with many claiming it caused cancer. The civic body had stepped in to confirm there’s no truth to the rumours and that it’s safe to drink.
 
In February this year, Dubai Municipality issued a clarification about whether a green tea brand sold in the UAE was contaminated.
 
“We have visited the brand's Dubai factory and checked every product. The moving images are only strands of food flavouring,” Safwan had told Emirates 24|7.
 
"As the leading tea brand in the region recognized for its quality and processes, Lipton confirms that this information is wrong. As shown in the video, Lipton Lemon green tea lemon flavour particles, brown in colour and curved should not be mistaken for foreign matters. A quick confirmation of the authenticity of the flavour particle is to put it in hot water and see it dissolve."

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