The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) today celebrated World Food Safety Day under the theme ‘Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow’.
MOCCAE revealed that it has taken multiple measures to improve food safety in the UAE, including the introduction of new procedures and stringent criteria for accrediting slaughterhouses abroad in line with international best practices. The move aims to facilitate the process without compromising on the health requirements, and enhance the continuity of meat supply to the UAE. Furthermore, the Ministry has waived the fees for the services offered by its Food Safety Department, such as the issue and renewal of accreditation for slaughterhouses outside the UAE as well as export accreditation for food establishments.
His Excellency Eng Saif Al Shara, Assistant Undersecretary for the Sustainable Communities Sector at MOCCAE, said: “Food safety and security and uninterrupted food supply chains are strategic priorities for MOCCAE. To safeguard public health and keep foodborne diseases at bay, the Ministry has implemented an integrated approach that applies strict food safety standards to local as well as imported products. This entails ensuring that local products that make it to the market are of the highest quality to boost consumer trust as well as the global competitiveness of the products. We also pay the utmost attention to the quality of imported food products, whether for local consumption or for re-export, as we seek to build the reputation of the UAE as a leading food trade and re-export hub.”
To streamline international food trade and diversify food import sources, MOCCAE has rolled out multiple initiatives. These include implementing a system for inspecting food-trading establishments and their products, promoting entrepreneurship in the import and re-export of agricultural products, adopting joint health protocols with countries that import food products to the UAE, establishing livestock quarantine facilities in exporting countries in compliance with the standards and regulations set by the Ministry, and collaborating with internationally accredited laboratories to ensure the safety of inbound consignments.
In addition, the Ministry has launched ZAD, the official online platform for the registration of foodstuffs produced in or imported to the UAE. The system registers foods after verifying the product information card and ensuring that it is fulfills the applicable requirements and that the sample laboratory test results show compliance with technical regulations. Foods that are not registered in ZAD cannot be imported into the UAE.
Moreover, as part of MOCCAE’s efforts to develop relevant work processes on the federal level, the National Food Safety Committee was created, comprising representatives of the Ministry, strategic partners from the government, and the United Arab Emirates University. The committee is responsible for devising unified nationwide food control and inspection regulations, assessing and managing risks related to imported foodstuffs and raw materials used in agricultural production and food industries, detecting foodborne diseases and food poisoning, and reporting, tracking, and recalling food products that are hazardous to public health. The committee is developing an initiative to manage and tighten the controls on pesticide residue in food.
The Ministry has also formed specialized committees, such as the national committee for meat safety and a committee to review and regulate control processes for inbound food consignments.
MOCCAE ensures that traded food in the UAE undergoes inspection and sample testing, and regularly visits food establishments to verify their compliance with food safety requirements.
The Ministry’s approach to controlling local food trade complements its measures aimed at ensuring the safety of imported foods. This includes monitoring the status of public and animal health around the world, and applying health and sharia standards in accrediting slaughterhouses outside the UAE seeking to export meat products to the country, and ensuring their adherence to the provisions of the Federal Law No. 10 of 2015 on food safety and the national system for monitorig halal foods.
MOCCAE has joined the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN), the EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (EU-RASFF), and the Gulf Rapid Alert System for Food (GRASF). The Ministry closely follows notifications on these platforms about damaged, adulterated, and counterfeit foods that pose risks to public health, and circulates them among local food control authorities through its Biosecurity Early Notification System.
In addition, local food control authorities inspect food imports upon arrival at the country’s borders through verifying the documents accompanying inbound consignments – country of origin certificates, health certificates, and halal certificates – and conducting the necessary physical and laboratory tests on samples from the shipments.
On the sidelines of World Food Safety Day, MOCCAE organized interactive workshops for local food control authorities to align their efforts to enhance food safety nationwide.