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Food safety managers at Dubai restaurants

From January 2011, every food establishment in Dubai should have a trained and certified food safety manager, Dubai Municipality announced on Monday.

As reported first by Khaleej Times in June, the certified manager, who will 
be called Person-in-Charge (PIC), 
will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of food safety in the establishment.

PICs can be the owners themselves or any other designated persons like chefs, kitchen mangers who are always present at the worksite and have direct control over employees handling storage, preparation, display, or service of foods, Director of Food Control Department of the Municipality Khalid Mohammed Sherif Al Awadhi said at a Press conference.

The new regulation is the latest among a series of food safety measures adopted by Dubai after two children reportedly died of suspected food poisoning in 2009.

While the appointment of PICs is mandatory for all types of food businesses, the department is giving a high priority to outlets handling high-risk food, those with many branches, busy restaurants, catering outlets and food traders.

The focal point between the municipality and the food outlet, PICs will have to offer food safety training to other staff, conduct self-inspections in the establishment, liaise with food inspectors, receive reports of complaints related to food from consumers, and ensure that corrective measures are taken in case of any violations.

Food businesses have to nominate their PICs who will have to undergo customised training programmes offered by three accredited awarding companies — Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance, TSI and Chartered Institute of Environmental Health — from this December.

Three levels of training in English, Arabic, Urdu and Malayalam will be offered to them. A handbook on guidelines for the PICs to operate safe food businesses will also be published in these languages.

“We believe that the training will help many of the food businesses that regularly violate rules, either because they are not aware of the rules or they ignore rules because of lack of management commitment. Knowledge about the legal requirements and training to achieve food safety objectives should help the industry reduce the violations and the economic burden caused by fines. The food establishments will also benefit from increased food quality and safety,” said Al Awadhi.

sajila@khaleejtimes.com