UAE | Health
Vehicles carrying foodstuff in Dubai 'should be air-conditioned'
Dubai Municipality has started implementing a new rule that all vehicles carrying food items should be air-conditioned and meet food safety standards set by the civic body.
- Staff Report
- Published: 17:24 April 28, 2008
Dubai: Dubai Municipality has started implementing a new rule that all vehicles carrying food items should be air-conditioned and meet food safety standards set by the civic body.
The municipality last year made it mandatory that all vehicles carrying foodstuff should be air-conditioned and gave a six-month grace period to food establishments to take necessary steps to follow the rule.
The civic body has stepped up campaign to penalise the violators after noticing that many food establishments were flouting the rules by carrying food in open pick-up trucks risking lives of people.
"Every vehicle used by a food establishment now will have to take permission from Food Department at the Municipality before registering or renewing the licence of any such vehicles," said Khalid Mohammad Sharif, Director of the Department.
He said the permission can be obtained from the municipality office at the Fruit and Vegetable Market in Warsan, where the municipality inspectors will inspect a vehicle before issuing the certificate. "We have already informed the Licensing Department at the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) about the new rule," he said.
Last year, food traders and suppliers were given a six month grace period to modify their existing fleet in line with a new set of technical specifications pertaining to vehicles transporting various food items.
Since January 2008, some 3,078 vehicles have been registered after enough modifications have been done on them.
"In future, we will be taking necessary action, including issuing fines against vehicles that violate these rules. The department will cancel the vehicles' approval if they do not meet the health and hygiene requirements," Sharif said.
He said the safe transportation of food items is the key to ensuring a hygiene supply of the materials to the consumer. "Any negligence in this regard can cost the consumers dear," he said.
Share this article
More from UAE Health
More from UAE
Popular in UAE
-
Your pictures
Readers' pictures
The best reader pictures from around the emirates this week
Latest news
- Residents raise a stink over garbage collection
- Policewoman charged with stealing Dh12,000
- Discipline those reserving parking slots
- Lifesavers to pit skills during Dubai event
- Media, employers can do more to help disabled
- Support colleagues with arthritis, doctors advise
- Music to get into the patriotic mood
- Saif: December 2 stands out in history
- Well-wishers welcome Haj pilgrims back
- Lebanese singer May Hariri dedicates song to people of the UAE
- Majida El Roumi's concert a big hit
- Top movie stars likely to grace DIFF
- National Day decorations
- Girl dies in fire started by stepbrother
- A road that is best avoided
Community Reports
-
Discipline those reserving parking slots
Some residents in Hor Al Anz are using unauthorised methods to hold parking spaces to ransom even when they have no use for them
-
A road that is best avoided
Thoroughfare connecting capital's Hamdan Street and Electra Street poses safety and health hazards
-
Please don't use two parking spaces
Thoughtless drivers means other motorists are losing out in a city where places to leave cars are often hard to find
-
School buses must do safe drop-offs
Some bus drivers let students off at the wrong side of the road
