15 April 2017 - Dubai UAE: His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), has issued a press statement to commemorate the GCC Food Safety Day, set to be marked annually on April 15 by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as a special day to highlight food safety issues and to raise public awareness about the importance of this crucial issue. The theme of the inaugural year's celebrations is 'Food Safety Is the Responsibility of All'.

His Excellency Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi said that the UAE has given the food safety issue much attention and has over the past years strengthened its legislative and institutional frameworks related to food safety, indicating that the country has developed integrated and effective control systems for food products, both domestic and imported, including the development of product testing laboratories and tightening food safety and control measures within food establishments and among workers to ensure the highest level of food safety.  Al Zeyoudi noted that the food safety rating in the UAE has increased in the last three years to reach 98% in 2016.

His Excellency pointed out that changing dietary habits in many countries over the past two decades and the emergence of new ways to produce, prepare and distribute food have made effective health control necessity to avoid health and economic implications caused by foodborne diseases. His Excellency Al Zeyoudi stressed that ensuring food safety and suitability for consumption is the responsibility of all, including producers, farmers, food processing facilities, as well as food transporting and handling agencies, where the most important element of this chain is the consumer who must be fully aware of the concept of food safety because it is his responsibility to conserve his own health and the well-being of his family.

Dr. Al Zeyoudi assured that the UAE gives great attention to monitoring tools, including increasing the regulations and human resources at the border entry points and in national laboratories which utilize modern technologies and follow best practices. He stressed that no food products are allowed through the border entry points unless they are accompanied by documents and certificates that ensure they abide by the local specifications and health regulations.

He added that the country is keen on training inspectors, enhancing financial resources for the implementation of activities and programs aimed at promoting food safety and control, strengthening channels of communication with consumers, regulators and stakeholders, developing food laboratories and acquiring international accreditation, in addition to promoting control on food relocation, storage and retail facilities, as well as implementing awareness programs for consumers about best practices in handling food, noting that MOCCAE has dealt with 127 food notifications in 2016.

Dr. Al Zeyoudi pointed out that focusing on the concept of shared responsibility in the first year of marking the GCC Food Safety Day emphasizes the importance of concerted efforts between governments and society members, who should take responsibility and support government efforts by reporting any food products that are not suitable for consumption or practices that violate the principles of food safety. 

He also called on community members not to be swayed by unreliable news or rumors about food safety and to refrain from raising unwarranted concerns without verifying their authenticity from reliable official sources, stressing that the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, as well as the UAE food safety authorities, welcome all public inquiries and respond to them directly.

In conclusion, the minister praised the efforts exerted by all UAE food safety authorities and the National Committee for Food Safety in developing food safety standards in accordance with Federal Law No. 10 of 2015 on food safety and implementing best practices in this area, with the aim of achieving the targets of the national agenda regarding the adoption of a health system in the UAE in par with highest international standards.

It’s noteworthy that during its third meeting held in June last year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the GCC Ministerial Committee on Food Safety had adopted the choice of 15 April of each year to mark the GCC Food Safety Day in order to highlight the efforts of GCC countries in that regard and to raise the level of awareness among society of the importance of following the principles and best practices of food safety.