Dubai: It is vital that the consumer has the knowledge to determine why, where and when to purchase food items and how to handle the food after purchasing it, a senior municipal official said yesterday.

Scientists and government officials converged on the Fifth Annual Dubai International Food Safety Conference, which opened on Monday morning. Hosted by Dubai Municipality (DM) the three-day event, held at the World Trade Centre alongside Gulfood, will allow prominent speakers from around the world to share their expertise with food safety professionals.

"Dubai Municipality has adopted many of the best practices which were presented in the last sessions and these practices became inputs in our strategic plans in the area of food safety," Engineer Hussain Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality said in his speech at the opening of the conference.

Knowledge

"More than 90 per cent of the food in the UAE is imported from 230 countries, amounting to an annual sum of $4 billion, (Dh 14.68 billion)," said Khalid Mohammad Sharif, Director of Food Control department at DM, in his presentations at the conference.

He said grains and meat are Dubai's main imports with 1.3 billion kilogrammes and 257 million kilogrammes respectively.

Speaking to Gulf News Sharif said: "The consumer is the essential part of the equation and what we are all working towards. It is vital that the consumer has the knowledge to determine why, where and when to purchase food items and how to handle the food after purchasing it."

He added that the department has recently released their Mr Safe mascot on Facebook to help answer food safety queries.

"Meats and dairy products have the highest risk and the highest demand by consumers, they are very sensitive products," he explained.

"We consider the consumer as our partner, our eyes and ears in the market, and we encourage them to inform us of any suspicion that they may have. It is imperative that inspectors have the confidence of the public."

He said in these fields, mistakes happen when you stay static.

"We are continuously developing [a] food safety system. Right now we are looking at how to improve and revamp our inspection process."

He also advised the public not to fall victim to rumours. "People should really look at the source of the information they are receiving and make sure that it's reliable; we are ready to clear any doubts the public may have."

"According to the World Bank Report, 70 per cent of deaths in children under five years of age is linked to biologically contaminated food," said Sameer Barde, Assistant Secretary General for the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, in his presentation on food safety in developing countries.

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