Dubai to host global food safety conference

Dubai: Food imports into Dubai rose by 18 per cent last year to 6.7 million tonnes compared to 5.6 million tonnes in 2010, said Hussain Nasser Lootah, director-general of Dubai Municipality.

The civic body licensed 2,202 permanent food establishments last year as compared to 2,075 establishments in 2010 besides licences for 1,974 temporary institutions.

"This means that the municipality has to take more efforts to ensure the compliance of all these institutions with applicable conditions in Dubai," said Lootah, while announcing that the Dubai Municipality will host the seventh International Food Safety Conference and the First Middle East Forum of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) on February 21 and 22. We are expecting over 1,000 participants from different countries," Lootah said.

Khalid Sharif Al Awadi, director of the Food Control Department and chairman of the organising committee for the conference, added: "We will focus on food safety and food-borne illnesses, food poisoning etc. It is necessary for us to see how we can reduce it."

Dubai Municipality has joined hands with IAFP in the mission to advance food safety worldwide and protect global food supply.