Dubai: The Food Safety Department of Dubai Municipality on Saturday held a variety of awareness-raising events on the occasion of World Food Day 2021, with the aim of spreading awareness about adopting healthy dietary patterns and spreading food safety concepts among various segments of society. Dubai Municipality is keen on the safety and health of consumers through integrated control of food products.
The events included a series of virtual workshops for different consumer groups, school students and government employees, in cooperation with the UAE Food Bank. It is worth noting that the slogan of this year’s World Food Day, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is “Our actions are our future,” which reflects the participation of society in the future that is in our hands and that we all aspire to build.
The events highlighted the importance of taking responsibility for reducing food waste and following a healthy diet. The Food Safety Department also participated in the World Food Day event organized by Zayed University in Dubai for university students, in addition to holding awareness activities for school students.
Dubai Municipality’s efforts continue to educate consumers to lead a healthy and safe lifestyle through various campaigns, activities and media channels that can reach members of the community in the emirate. It is worth mention that the Food Studies and Risk Assessment Division in Dubai Municipality has formed two working groups to deal with Expo 2020, with the aim of following up with the imported food shipments as well as the activities of the food establishments that prepare and display foodstuff at the event site.
The Food Inspection Section has conducted a total of 60,365 inspections and campaigns, which include the restaurants in Expo 2020, in order to follow up on the precautionary measures. Inspectors of the Section conduct visits to food establishments at the Expo 2020 site in order to ensure that all health requirements are applied. In addition to ensuring the safe handling of foodstuff, the hygiene and sterilization of the tools and equipment used are also monitored, as well as the cleanliness of the workers and their practices during the food preparation processes.
It is worth noting that the amount of food imported into the local market through the ports of the Emirate of Dubai since the beginning of 2021 amounts to about 6 million tons of food for more than 1.2 million food products. Dubai Municipality is constantly inspecting food establishments and various sales outlets that include more than 60,000 establishments, such as restaurants, cafes, hotels, catering companies, retail stores, mini marts, and school canteens, in order to ensure food safety and the application of health requirements in force in the Food Safety Department and the application of precautionary measures for Covid 19.
Dubai Municipality also ensures the qualification and training of about 300,000 workers in food establishments in the Emirate of Dubai, through approved food safety training, which is necessary for all categories of food establishments.
Dubai Municipality is working hard through its advanced electronic systems and control procedures to provide the necessary control structure to provide safe food to all members of society along the food chain from the source of the food until it reaches the shelves in the local markets as the Municipality is keen on the safety and health of consumers through integrated control of food products.
Coinciding with World Food Day, “My Food Treasure” campaign was launched, which included a variety of activities in stores and malls, such as proper food storage, a game on wrong practices in the kitchen and others, in addition to workshops for schools, with the aim of raising awareness on topics related to the basics of food safety, and reading Nutritional label and avoid eating the most dangerous elements in food.
The Municipality launched the Global Handwashing Day event on October 14 at Festival City, with the participation of Dubai Health Authority in cooperation with Ecolab, with the aim of spreading awareness about the importance of hand washing, especially when eating and preparing food. The event included several awareness activities for the public, including washing hands and verifying the removal of germs using UV rays, in addition to spreading awareness messages about the importance of washing hands, educational activities for children and distributing gifts. A virtual awareness workshop was also organized for the owners of food establishments on the importance of maintaining hand hygiene to ensure the health and safety of the community.
On the occasion of the students’ return to schools, the Food Safety Department, in cooperation with the Environment Department in Dubai Municipality, organized the “Back to School” campaign, which targeted about 3,000 students in various schools in the Emirate of Dubai, which included interactive activities regarding healthy and safe nutrition and preservation of the environment, in addition to holding virtual awareness workshops. This campaign aims to inspire children to lead healthy and safe lives, take responsibility for taking up safe food practices and empower them to make healthy choices.
