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19 March 2024

Dubai's Food Code changes the eat rules

Published
By Majorie van Leijen

Dubai Municipality released its Food Code on Monday. The code is a first in the region and could become a guideline used by the entire food industry.

Khalid Shareef, Director of the Food Control Department, Dubai Municipality said: "Dubai's vision is to establish a world-class food safety system that helps provide safe food to the residents and the several millions that visit the emirate each year.

"In addition, we would like the system to ensure safe production and distribution of food and also its safe import and export."

The Food Code is a comprehensive document that lists the requirements that food establishments have to follow, based on rules laid out by
Esma, international rules and regulations, labour approval requirements, and regulations set out earlier by Dubai Municipality.

For two years, the Food Control Department has studied these rules and regulations in order to create a comprehensive code, in which these rules are put together and explained in simple language.

Previously, the rules and regulations might not have been understood, and therefore not followed up. But in this guidebook every person involved in the food industry should be able to understand his responsibilities, explained Asia Abdul Wahab Murad, Head of Planning & Development at the Food Control Department.

"The Code does not only explain the rules, but also explains why these rules are there," says Khalid. "For example, we explain why washing hands is important, so the owner of a restaurant will understand why this needs to be followed up."

The example is a significant one. "Not washing hands is one of the violations made in the food industry that can cause serious problems.

It is not a violation that we find in many cases, but we call this a significant violation, because it can create serious problems," says Bobby Krishna, Senior Food Inspector at the Food Inspection Section, Dubai Municipality.

Dubai Municipality will organise workshops to introduce the Food Code, and licensing requirements will be adapted to the code.