Dubai: Based on the evaluation conducted by Dubai Municipality during the first three months of the winter season, 293 food outlets in Global Village received excellent rating, while 102 received good rating, the civic body said on Wednesday.

Sultan Al Taher, head of the Food Inspection Section at Dubai Municipality, pointed out that the inspection operations are continuing on a daily basis to make sure safety procedures are applied by the food establishments.

In a press release, he said the inspectors are conducting inspection visits daily to these establishments, at a rate of 2,065 visits per week, and 11,850 a month, to ensure the application of the food safety requirements in the village.

“No food which is cooked outside is accepted in Global Village. The restaurants prepare foods inside the village, as the kiosks are given [necessary] permits,” said Al Tahir.

He explained that the working group in charge of checking the food outlets in Global Village is divided into two teams — the first team conducts checking on vehicles carrying raw food before entering the village during the morning shift, and the other team is specialised in taking random samples and inspection of food offered to visitors.

Taher said checking of the vehicles is aimed at ensuring that they contain food labels, which have all basic information such as the date of production and expiry, and the contents of each shipment, and the non-approved vehicles will be denied entry.

“The municipality is conducting daily checks on food kiosks, restaurants and other food establishments operating in the village. We also conduct surprise inspections on these stalls and take the necessary corrective actions as per the Local Order No. (11) for the year 2003,” he said.

Al Taher explained that the monitoring and checking are aimed to provide safety and security for Global Village visitors. “It is done with prior coordination between the Global Village management and the Food Safety Department at Dubai Municipality in order to provide standards for food activities according to the municipality requirements. This has helped the food establishments comply with the requirements and getting a high evaluation,” he said.

Al Taher added that the food establishments in the village could enhance their performance matching the efficiency of the other food establishments operating in Dubai.

He pointed out that the Food Safety Department makes the food establishments, especially restaurants, comply with the need for the presence of a hygiene supervisor during food preparation to ensure the safety of food products.

Al Taher said the municipality has organised workshops on the importance of food safety for 123 Emirati food enterprises, which operate in the village. The workshops were conducted in cooperation with Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises and the management of Global Village before the start of the season.

Global Village has been visited by more than five million people during the season.