UAE | Health
Supermarkets continue to sell pork despite ban
A ban on the import and sale of all types of pork products has been implemented across the UAE - however supermarkets and some hotels in Dubai said they are yet to receive a circular from the Municipality on the ban on the sale and cooking of pork.
- By Sunita Menon and Binsal Abdul Kader, Staff Reporters
- Published: 23:08 April 29, 2009
-
UAE bans import and sale of pork
UAE bans import, sale of pork as precautionary measure against swine flu
-
UAE Health Minister to hold press conference on swine flu
UAE Health Minister to hold press conference on swine flu
-
UAE is free of swine flu, says minister
UAE is free of swine flu, says minister
-
UAE Health Minister sets up committees to tackle swine-flu threat
UAE Health Minister sets up committees to tackle swine-flu threat
-
Mexican expats fear for loved ones
Mexican expatriates fear for loved ones amid deadly swine flu outbreak
Dubai/Abu Dhabi: A ban on the import and sale of all types of pork products has been implemented across the UAE - however supermarkets and some hotels in Dubai said they are yet to receive a circular from the Municipality on the ban on the sale and cooking of pork.
Although the UAE has no fears of a swine flu pandemic outbreak, various precautionary measures have been put into place by the Ministry of Health and the UAE General Secretariat of Municipalities (GSM) one of which is the ban of pork.
The General Secretariat of Municipalities [GSM] issued a circular on Monday banning the import and sale of all types of pork, Mohammad Jalal Al Reyaysa, Manager of the Communication and Information Department at the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) said. The ban covers cooking pork in hotels [for non-Muslims], he added.
The GSM had already banned the import of pork from Mexico and the US on Sunday but extended it to a blanket ban, considering the alarming situation, Al Reyaysa said.
"Only two outlets in Abu Dhabi have a licence to sell pork [for non Muslims] and our inspectors have already told them to remove the pork from the shelves."
Hotels which cook pork [for non-Muslims] cannot do so until the ban is lifted, he added.
"If any dishes containing pork are found in the market, our inspectors will confiscate them", Al Reyaysa said.
Khalid Sharif, director of the Food Control Department at Dubai Municipality said that available pork stocks will be allowed to be on sale "but stock replenishment will not be allowed. We have already implemented the ban."
In reply to a question on the duration of such a ban, Sharif said: "Until things are under control."
However, a restaurant in a four-star hotel located on Shaikh Zayed Road said they had no idea about the ban and would continue to serve pork.
"We have a separate kitchen where pork is prepared. So far we have not received any information on taking pork off the menu," said the restaurant manager.
A similar comment also came from another restaurant located on Shaikh Zayed Road: "Only one of our restaurants serves pork and so far I am not aware of a pork ban. I don't comprehend as to why pork sales or cooking should be banned because you don't catch swine flu by eating pork. The flu does not have any effect on the food chain," said the hotel food and beverages manager.
A spokesperson from Spinneys said they too had not received any advice. "Spinneys will continue to sell pork until it receives advice from the authorities to discontinue its sale. We will cooperate with the regulatory body over here,"
Al Reyaysa said the UAE had taken such a harsh measure because the country cannot take any chances, although the World Health Organisation has said eating properly handled and prepared pork is safe.
Share this article
Related Articles
Popular in UAE
-
Have your say
Living in untidy homes
Do you think that people who live in untidy homes have bad character?
Latest news
- HAAD action against doctor who sold sick leaves
- Napolitano warns against anti-Muslim backlash
- Fog sweeps the UAE
- Emirati students in US set to rise
- No friends of mother Earth
- Tussle on for tertiary students
- Faded parking lines pose a problem
- UAE to announce H1N1 vaccination campaign
- Focus on best methods of crime investigation
- Benefits of pill-sized camera displayed
- Prosecutions need to adopt new technologies
- Big decline in robberies in Dubai
- Ministry to shut down typing centres
- Car stickers to identify new drivers on road
- So what will it take to float Gulf News' boat?
Community Reports
-
Faded parking lines pose a problem
Motorists could be fined for parking incorrectly even though they can hardly see the boundaries in the designated areas
-
School buses block residential parking
Commercial vehicles taking up free parking facilities in Al Wuheida, inconveniencing residents in surrounding villas
-
Community report: Doing their bit for poor children
A group of students takes concrete action to raise funds for Dubai Cares
-
Surprising truth of 'abandoned cars'
An Abu Dhabi resident believes that some mechanics are using parking spaces as rent-free workshops
