Are UAE waters polluted? Ministry responds

Fish on display at one of UAE's fish markets

The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, MoCCaE, confirmed that rumours being circulated on social media about pollution in the UAE waters is not true.
Salah Abdullah Al Rayssi, Director of the Sustainability of Marine and Coastal Environments at MoCCaE, reaffirmed that specialised teams regularly monitor water quality in the UAE through sampling and analysis to ensure that it is free from any substances that would affect public health.
He also confirmed that an external auditing team carried out inspection visits to all fish markets last Thursday to examine the fish, and assured the public that there is no harm in consuming local and imported sea food.
Al Rayssi said that UAE has given the food safety issue much attention over past years and has strengthened its legislative and institutional frameworks related to food safety. He indicated that the UAE has developed integrated and effective control systems on food products, both domestic and imported, including the development of product testing laboratories, tightening food safety, control measures on food establishments and workers to ensure the highest level of food safety in the country.
Al Rayssi noted that the food safety rating in the UAE has increased in the last three years to reach 98 percent in 2016.
He also called on community members not to be swayed by unreliable news or rumours about food safety and to refrain from raising unwarranted concerns without verifying their authenticity from reliable official sources.
He stressed that the ministry, as well as the UAE food safety authorities, welcome all public inquiries and will respond to them directly.