Dubai Municipality releases ‘Food Code’

Dubai Municipality released a ‘Food Code’ on Monday as a food safety guideline for the eateries and hotels in the emirate.

Khalid Shareef, Director, Food Control Department at 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.”

“We would like the system to be comprehensive so that others are encouraged to use it as a model. Our vision will become a reality only when the government, food industry, service providers, educational organisations and consumers collectively commit to work together and apply sound principles of food safety,” he explained.

He said the municipality has already begun the process by promoting a food safety culture among food establishments in the emirate by urging the managements to be responsible and accountable through proprietary Person In-Charge (PIC) programme introduced in 2010.

“Through the Food Code, we are now building on the foundations laid by the PIC,” he continued.

“Food Code is a comprehensive document that lists the requirements that food establishments have to follow,” said Asia Abdul Wahab Murad, Head of Planning & Development  at DM’s Food Control Department.

According to Basheer Hassan Yousuf, food safety expert at DM food control department, the Food Code is designed to assist the Person In-Charge (PICs) at food establishments to understand their obligations and to carry out operations as per the requirement.

The key references for the Dubai Food Code are similar codes issued in the US, Canada, Australia, Ireland and Hong Kong.

According to figures with the civic body, in 2012  more than eight million tonnes of food products were imported into Dubai from some 180 countries.

Dubai has more than 13,000 food establishments including 3,000 restaurants and 480 hotels.
 

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