3 November 2009
The municipality’s Food Control Department is drafting regulations to implement an integrated “farm-to-fork” approach on food safety control that increases the legal liability of food producers.
It also places specific responsibilities on the food sector to go through the process to develop more effective self-regulation in food safety management because it is unrealistic to expect that the government could inspect at all stages of the production process of all producers.
These details were discussed at an educational workshop organised by the department at the Sweets Middle East, and Sweet and SnackTec Middle East trade fairs which began in Dubai on Monday.
Bashir Hassan Yousif, acting head of Food Control Department’s Food Studies and Planning Unit, said the guidelines will ensure risk-based preventive measures aimed at preventing food-borne illnesses.
“Our plan is to involve the industry to have a more active role in ensuring food safety. Food business operators must show that they have adopted good hygienic practices on their premises, suitable for the purpose and it should not be just meeting the minimum requirements of the law,” Yousif told Khaleej Times after the workshop.
“We have to understand that the shelf life of a particular food, for example, sandwich can vary depending on the quality of the raw material and the type of process used. A sandwich prepared in very hygienic condition using good quality raw material will have a better shelf life than a product made in unhygienic condition with poor quality ingredients.”
Under the new regulations, he said, manufacturers who maintain high standards of food safety will benefit in terms of longer shelf life.
“Having a printed label for shelf life without proper preparation and handling of food is useless. The microbiological quality of the product will be monitored to ensure that manufactures do not put unsatisfactory products in the market.”
There will be different sets of risk-based guidelines aimed at manufacturers of locally made foods and beverages like dairy products, meat products, ready-to-eat products, juices and water.
Citing dairy products as an example, Yousif said the manufacturers of dairy products should take measures against safety risks from chemicals, antibiotics, pesticides, melamine etc apart from prevention against micro-organisms by analysing these risks during each stage of production, storage, transportation and delivery.
“Each sector has different types of risks. We will address all of them separately in separate guidelines.”
The first set of guidelines will focus manufacturers of ready-to-eat foods, dairy products, juices and water. The meat and ready-to-eat products will be the next category.
The department is also implementing a new licensing system to guarantee that not only food handlers but also business owners and senior managers have knowledge of food safety issues.
As first reported by Khaleej Times in July, the plan means that food business operators will have to undergo food safety training as a prerequisite for securing an operator’s licence to run food businesses.
“This will be applicable not only for restaurants and cafeterias. We will expand this licensing system for all food businesses.”
Yousif said food business operators will have to pay a heavy price if they do not know the law and do not apply it.
“The responsibility of implementing food safety should not be the onus of just the municipality. Inspections alone cannot bring in food safety. It needs to be inculcated in the people involved in the industry.”
The official said the department would conduct training programmes and consultation with the industry before implementing the guidelines based on international standards.
