Dubai tightens food control measures

The food safety department of Dubai Municipality (DM) has further enhanced its food control measures to ensure safety of food and beverages during the holy month.
Sultan Al Tahir, head of food inspection section at the food safety department, said this is due to the increased quantities of preparations in Ramadan and is to ensure the health and safety of the consumers.
He said the section started preparations a month ago by conducting specialised inspections in food warehouses, especially of Ramadan food and consumer complexes, in addition to a comprehensive inspection campaign in the traditional kitchens, in order to raise their hygiene level.
He said these inspections will continue until the end of the month of Ramadan, pointing out that the municipality will tighten the supervision on traditional food and the like, which become more popular during the holy month and will be prepared and cooked in the public kitchens.
Al Tahir said the control will also be tightened on all preparations, the temperature levels of foods and the transportation vehicles in order to ensure their compliance with the technical conditions and specifications to protect the health of the consumers.
He said the municipality will also ensure the safety of ready-to-eat foods and also follow up bakeries, confectioneries and factories of dairy products.
Al Tahir said the municipality has already inspected this week 80 food establishments, including food warehouses, where foodstuffs are stored for sale to major food stores in Ramadan.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com