Dubai Municipality, 6 June 2022:  On World Food Safety Day, Dubai Municipality is organizing several scientific and awareness programs to reiterate the importance of implementing food safety procedures through an integrated system that ensures the provision of safe and high-quality food to foster community health in the Emirate of Dubai. Themed ‘Safe Food, Better Health,’ the events and workshops will be held in Dubai on June 7. 

Dubai is considered one of the most important centers of food trade in the world with the ports of the Emirate receiving more than 8 million tons of food annually, imported from about 200 countries. In addition to this, the Emirate provides more than one billion meals annually to tourists, who prefer to visit during their holidays.

Dawoud Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality said: “Dubai Municipality has been working on promoting the Emirate of Dubai as one of the world's most dynamic hubs in food trade by applying the best standards and measures in the field of food safety. These efforts fall in line with the directives of our wise leadership to provide all the features and facilities that ensure the well-being, happiness, and safety of community members, to solidify Dubai's position as one of the best global destinations for work-life balance.”

He added: “We, at Dubai Municipality, remain keen to further develop food safety services through the integration of modern technology and ensure that establishments adhere to hygiene and safety requirements and established guidelines in the transport, preparation, and supply of food products and related items. These form part of our responsibilities towards the community, partners, dealers, workers, and suppliers operating in this field, and support the Municipality's vision to become a global pioneer in this regard.”

Promote food safety awareness:

The Regional Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for the Gulf States and Yemen participated in the activities organized by Dubai Municipality on World Food Safety Day, which is being celebrated every year since its launch in 2018 to promote food safety awareness. The world is witnessing an increase in the number of initiatives that contribute to educating the public in this important field with Dubai Municipality playing an important role by coming up with innovative ways to involve all segments of society in the celebration of this day.

Inspirational stories and workshops:

In the context of empowering entrepreneurs in the field of food, Dubai Municipality organized a series of workshops to foster innovation while applying best practices to ensure food safety - right from planning the food projects to their launch. Dubai is considered a pioneer city in adopting innovation in an attractive and sustainable competitive environment. These workshops included sharing inspiring stories from Emirati and international entrepreneurs in cooperation with the Restaurants Business Group of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Meetings were also organized to empower youth in cooperation with the Dubai Entrepreneurship Academy, which is the educational arm of the Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for Small and Medium Enterprises Development.

Awareness:

The activities of the World Food Safety Day included sending awareness tips via the FoodWatch platform to reach its more than 100,000 users in Dubai. The Municipality also launched a campaign on the social media platforms under “#FoodSafetyAwareness,” where food establishments will carry out activities during June to promote food safety for consumers and workers.
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