Abu Dhabi:Food safety warnings handed out
01 Oct 2009
The National [edited][FSNet]
Food authorities closed down a restaurant and a meat counter and issued more than 1,000 warnings during a recent campaign to promote food safety.
The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority stepped up inspections during Ramadan and Eid to meet the expected surge in demand for food products during the holidays.
The authority conducted 4,871 inspections and handed out 1,130 warnings to restaurants and food establishments during Ramadan and Eid. Also, 49 fines were issued to eateries found to be in violation of hygiene rules for a second time.

August

United Arab Emirates-Food safety message hits home
26 Aug 2009
The National [edited][FSNet]
Normally, food inspectors spend their time haranguing restaurants about the need for good hygiene. Now, they are taking aim at a new group: housewives who prepare meals for their families every day.
The Dubai Municipality launched what it is calling its Safe Kitchen Initiative to promote the correct preparation of meals. To kick off the initiative, food inspectors will make a one-hour presentation that will highlight kitchen dos and don’ts and will try to dispel some myths about food poisoning. Anybody can attend, but officials are especially hoping housewives are in the audience since many cases of food poisoning are blamed on incorrect handling of food in homes. 
The municipality has recorded 60 cases of food poisoning so far this year, two-thirds of which involved people eating at home.
 If the demonstration is well-attened more will be organised in other malls and shops. 
Also as part of the initiative, the municipality is distributing pamphlets about food safety in supermarkets and other places that sell food.

Saudi Arabia-Ministry steps up food safety inspections before Ramadan
12 Aug 2009
Arab News [edited][FSNet]
The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs issued a circular to all municipalities to increase inspections of food establishments before the start of the month of Ramadan.
The ministry urged health departments to prepare complete programs that would focus on unauthorized street-food peddling and ensure that all food establishments follow health procedures.
The circular outlines proper ways to clean water storage containers and to make sure that water is safe for human consumption.
Focus will also be on food transportation and officials have been asked to make sure all trucks transporting foodstuff fit the standards set out by the municipalities. In the event of violations by personnel or companies the punishment set out is severe. Repeat offenders face double punishments. Food poisoning is a problem that is all too common during Haj and Umrah each year. Expired food often finds its way to customers through restaurants, which fail to meet health and safety regulations.
Related stories:
22 Aug 2009-Food safety stepped up at Ramadan stalls
Saudi Gazette [edited][FSNet]
24 Aug 2009-Holy month snack stalls warned to keep clean
The National [edited][FSNet]
Restaurants and cafés that set up outdoor stalls to sell snacks to people breaking their fasts have been instructed to help prevent food poisoning or face being closed down.

United Arab Emirates-Food poisoning cases drive Dubai to raise safety awareness
06 Aug 2009
Khaleej Times Online [edited][FSNet]
Dubai is gearing up for its biggest-ever food safety awareness campaign after a spate of 60 cases of food poisoning, including high-profile deaths, this year. The emirate’s civic body also has launched a program upgrading food safety and targeting the poorest performing eateries after closing 65 by the end of July for violating safety regulations. The details of the campaign and the violations registered have been issued amid growing concern over food safety after the death of at least three Dubai children due to suspected food poisoning in recent months. Apart from the toddler’s death, the fact that 40 of the reported cases of suspected food poisoning were believed to be due to homemade food has prompted Dubai Municipality to choose housewives as one of the major target groups of the campaign.In tandem with the food safety awareness programs for the food outlets, teams of officials from the Food Control Department of the Municipality will also address schools, universities, shoppers and the general public. Also for the first time, the municipality has teamed up with a group of food industry representatives to formulate the messages and structure of the awareness drive.
Related Stories
11 Aug 2009-Dubai boosts food safety effort
The National [edited][FSNet]
The emirate will step up its food safety campaign by providing “training sessions” for consumers at leading supermarkets, Dubai Municipality announced yesterday.
Starting this Ramadan, municipality counters would set up at malls where information on essential food safety methods would be explained by officers. Training sessions would also be organised, especially for housewives, who could register at these counters.

July

United Arab Emirates-Dubai restaurants advised to improve hygiene standards
19 Jul 2009
Business 24/7 [edited][FSNet]
Following a few cases of food poisoning reported from Dubai, the most famous of which resulted in the deaths of siblings last month, the Dubai Municipality has stepped up its inspection of restaurants and other eateries and advised many of them to improve quality standards. The municipality also recently conducted a food safety awareness campaign under the banner "Food Safety is our Priority".
Small- and medium-size restaurants said they can improve by introducing new kitchen equipment.
An official was quoted as saying such restaurants should get sufficient time to improve their kitchenware, as they may not be able to afford the cost of new equipment at present. Restaurants in the city are not gaining from the decline in rents or the fall in food prices, he was quoted as saying.
Related stories
20 Jul 2009-Food safety in Dubai
Time Out Dubai [edited][FSNet]
24 Jul 2009Food safety awareness campaign by SMS
Khaleej Times [edited][FSNet]
The Dubai Municipality is in talks with telecom service provider Etisalat to use SMS for alerts on food related issues. It comes amid growing number of food poisoning cases, the latest involving the death of a two-and-a-half-year-old, and seeks to employ a popular mode in an awareness campaign already under way.
30 Jul 2009-Food outlets in Dubai safeguard themselves
Gulfnews [edited][FSNet]
Hotels and restaurants in Dubai are playing it safe on the issue of food hygiene by asking their customers to sign disclaimer notes when they order takeaways.
The new stipulation was introduced in the last three weeks after the much-publicized suspected food-poisoning case that claimed the lives of two children in Dubai.
The name, address, contact details of customers along with the time of the purchase are also noted down on the waiver note.
03 Aug 2009-Dubai municipality urges action on food advisories
Khaleej Times [edited][FSNet]
Dubai Municipality is planning to encourage all restaurants in the emirate to issue advisories to consumers on safe handling of takeaway food.

June

United Arab Emirates-Inspectors fail half of Sharjah's restaurants
06 Jun 2009
The National [edited] [FSNet]
More than half of all restaurants monitored by Sharjah Municipality have failed basic food hygiene inspections on such grounds as out-of-date food and moldy kitchens.
Over the past 12 months, inspectors checked 1,588 restaurants and cafeterias, of which only 223 met the minimum requirements.
Of the remaining establishments, 891 were issued with warnings and 474 were closed temporarily until they improved.
Restaurants and grocery shops in the capital will face similar inspections over the coming weeks.
Those that failed were faulted on issues such as poor maintenance, serving food that had passed its use-by date, black mold on kitchen surfaces, flaking paint falling on to food, and staff failing to observe correct food safety procedures.
The news comes a week after a four-year-old girl died from food poisoning in Sharjah.
The family had ordered food from a restaurant the previous morning before a home-cooked lunch and dinner. The Ministry of Health is still investigating the incident.
Sharjah Municipality said it had started inspections to stop shops turning off refrigerators at night to save power, a common cause of food poisoning, particularly in summer. Authorities also plan to keep records of food poisoning cases in the Emirates in an effort to trace common causes.
Restaurant owners who had been inspected said the municipality checked for the cleanliness and level of maintenance, in addition to food hygiene and staff compliance.
The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority has warned grocery shop operators and restaurant managers in the emirate a concerted food inspection campaign is on the way in the lead-up to the summer.
The ADFCA is also considering implementing a restaurants grading system similar to that implemented in 2006 for fish markets and butcher shops.
Under the proposed program, all the emirate’s food outlets would be required clearly to display a certificate disclosing health inspection results –“A” for exceptional health and safety practices, “B” for very good, or a passing “C” grade.

March

UAE -Taste and quality of hospital food on the rise
18 Mar 2009
Eye of Dubai News [edited][iFSN]
It is reported that Tawam Hospital in affiliation with Johns Hopkins Medicine has announced that it has been awarded the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) certification for its food safety standards. According to this story, serving on average 1,000,000 meals a year, Tawam implemented the HACCP standards in June 2008 with the aim of providing and serving the best hospital food in the UAE and increasing patient satisfaction.

Israel-Calls voiced for stricter regulations for public eateries
08 Mar 2009
Jerusalem Post - Judy Siegel-Itzkovich [edited][iFSN]
It is reported that the Jerusalem District Health Officer has called for a change in regulations that would allow the health authorities to regularly examine food handlers at wedding halls, restaurants and other eating places to prevent them from spreading gastroenterological and other infections. Currently, they only examine them as part of an epidemiological investigation after a disease outbreak.

United Arab Emirates -Norovirus should not be taken lightly
02 Mar 2009
Gulfnews.com - Nina Muslim [edited][iFSN]
The UAE needs to pay more attention to norovirus, a very common but often overlooked food-borne virus that causes diarrhea and vomiting, said a US food safety expert.
Norovirus is a highly infectious virus that spreads through fecal matter. It can transfer from an infected person to surfaces, food or people. In addition to diarrhea and vomiting, it also causes stomach cramps and chills.
A research environmental specialist and food safety expert at Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International, told delegates at the recent Food Safety Conference that the virus sickens people more often thanSalmonellaandE. coli.

February

UAE -Dozens food shops shut after safety concerns
07 Feb 2009
Arabian Business - Joanna Hartley [edited][iFSN]
It is reported in this story that food safety inspectors in Abu Dhabi shut down 75 shops and issued hundreds of warnings over poor quality food last year, it was reported on Saturday. A total of 572 warnings were issued by the Abu Dhabi Municipality to food stores about substandard products – the worst of which were closed down - following a total of 27,000 premises inspections. Furthermore, 500 tons of food, which was out of date or rotten, was stopped from entering the emirate as a result of stricter checks at ports and land borders, according to UAE daily The National. A similar approach in Dubai saw six percent of total shipments of food refused entry into the emirate last year after laboratory tests showed health and safety concerns.

Bahrain -Expert warns of health threat
02 Feb 2009
Gulf Daily News - Manama [edited][iFSN]
Serious health problems can result from transporting uncovered meat in open vehicles, according to a top doctor.According to Salmaniya Medical Complex Accident and Emergency Department chief resident "Though we have no clear figures about Bahrain, we are reasonably sure that most of the food poisoning cases that are treated at hospitals here are due to undercooked meat and meat products." He said several strains ofEscherichia coli(E. coli) were among the most serious and prevalent pathogens that could result from such transportation and exposure. "In Bahrain, exposure to the often humid and hot weather can become a serious issue, also the sand and the dust in windy conditions," he added.

January

Qatar -Eateries warned to ensure food safety
20 Jan 2009
Gulf Times - Noimot Olayiwola [edited][iFSN]
According to this story, the Public Health Affairs Department at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Urban Planning has warned restaurants and eateries as well as hotels to abide by food safety rules as failure to comply could cost them dearly. The assistant director of the department stated that the department strove to ensure food safety in all dining outlets across Qatar. “Last year, around eight food outlets were closed due to certain irregularities and some of them were big names. Just recently another big outlet was shut down due to poor hygiene that posed a risk to people’s health. We are very strict on this,” he said. He said that first-time offenders would face a one-month closure while a second violation would invite a two-month shutdown. Any further offence would be referred to the police department for prosecution, which could lead to court cases and fines running into hundreds of thousands of riyals. He said the department, alongside the Ministry of Public Health, oversaw the import of all food products and also checked the quality of food items in restaurants, supermarkets, slaughter houses and fish markets. The department also had the authority to inspect factories making dairy products and processed foods, he said.
“One of the conditions set by the ministry is that people processing food must have health certificates showing that they are free from infectious diseases,” he added, emphasizing that employers should ensure that attendants at eateries had the certificates.



Sources and Terms of Use