Dubai: Residents do not usually take the time to think about where their food comes from, but nevertheless authorities are taking precautions so that all of the 85 per cent of food produce imported into the country is up to par.

“The Food Control Laboratory takes samples from all import areas, such as the land, sea and air, and we check that they are not contaminated with chemicals or bacteria,” said Engineer Abdullah Mohammad Rafia, Assistant Director General for the General Support Sector of Dubai Municipality.

As municipal authorities gear up for the region’s largest produce trade show next month to promote the highest standard of imported food, Rafia pointed out that it still cannot dictate the products that are being sold in hypermarkets and supermarkets.

“We have the upper hand and reject anything that can be harmful to people’s health. Hypermarkets and such are influenced by the open market, so while they may purchase high quality products we cannot enforce how it is presented. Sometimes vegetables may not look that good but they are certainly not harmful.

“It is ultimately beneficial to them if they purchase the best quality goods that are available in the country,” he explained.

Residents with any complaints about food produce are urged to notify Dubai Municipality on the toll free number 800 900.

The trade conference, World of Perishables (WOP), will take place from November 19-21 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

For 2012, WOP Dubai is expecting a 20 per cent increase in trade visitors, and organisers have already reached a 15 per cent increase in rented space as compared to last year.

Tareq Sibai, project director for planetfair LLC, pointed out that Dubai is the hub for the Middle East, and although the GCC region is not a major participant in the agricultural field, it does provide the largest platform of imports and exports into the region.

Available data showed that Dubai saw a 16 per cent growth in the import of fresh fruits and 20 per cent increase in fresh vegetables from 2008 to 2010.

In 2010, Dubai imported almost 1.7 billion kilograms of fruit and vegetables valued at nearly Dh5.3 billion.