Home-cooked foods at groceries raise concerns among UAE residents

Homemade cookies and snacks displayed for sale at a grocery shop in Sharjah.- Photo by M. Sajjad

Consumers are raising concerns over the safety of various types of homemade foods being displayed in groceries, supermarkets and cafeterias as well as various other food outlets, without approval from the authorities concerned.
The makers are taking to social media - including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp - in a big way to sell foodstuff like falafel, baked cookies, cakes, samosas, beans, and so on.
These items are made at home and delivered to food outlets, which exhibit them on the condition that they would keep 10 per cent of the price for each piece sold. 
Of late, the safety of these products has come under the scanner, as they allegedly are not subjected to monitoring and supervision by the authorities.
A lot of consumers have called on authorities to tighten supervision on these "illegal businesses" and make it mandatory for them to follow safety and hygiene norms.
Alia Al Kaabi, a consumer, said these homemade food items pose a health hazard to the consumers and could expose them to food poisoning. "The eateries that sell them are making more money than the regular restaurants as they sell a small dish of pasta for Dh25, while its actual price is only Dh10. They also sell small cakes for Dh70, adding a delivery fee of Dh30 to it," he said.
Officials of the departments concerned have also warned the public against dealing with posts on social media offering homemade food at cheaper prices. Based on several complaints received by the authorities, it was found that most of these sellers are not using good quality or fresh products in preparing the food meant for sale.
"Consumers must think before having the stuff and ensure that proper hygiene procedures, such as washing hands or wearing gloves while processing the food, were followed while preparing it," an official said.
Mohammed Ali, a grocery keeper, said many women living in the building bring homemade food items such as cakes, samosas, and pastries. "They are mostly housewives. I just try to help them out in making some income. Many customers like these food items and they often run out of the stock due to huge demand. People like homemade food than packed or manufactured food items."  
Ahmed Jalal, a consumer, said he liked to buy homemade pastry and Arabic sweets as well as cookies. "I'm a bachelor and I like to have these food items with a cup of milk or tea."
Um Abdullah, a housewife who displays pictures of her homemade food items for lunch and dinner on WhatsApp and Facebook, cooks the dishes for a large number of people. Her customers are mostly bachelors and working women.
"I display food tiffins on social media for working bachelors and special food packages for working women.
"Currently, I have a group - including 150 people of various Arab nationalities - who place their orders on a daily basis. Some of them come to my place to collect the food and some opt for home delivery."

Food labels are a must, says official