UAE authority temporarily shuts dairy and juice factory
The factory in Al Ain violated the food code several times before it was forced to close
Dubai: A dairy factory was closed down in Al Ain after authorities discovered that it had been violating the food and safety code on more than one occasion.
The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) issued a circular on Monday evening to temporarily shut Al Alamia Dairy and Juice Factory of commercial license number IN-1001188, located in Al Ain Industrial Park of Al Ain city.
The authority issued an administrative decision to close the factory as it violated Law No.2 of 2008 regarding food in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Thamer Al Qasimi, director of Communications and Community Services Department at ADFSA, said that according to the department’s Food Control Report, the factory had received a number of warnings prior to the closure and had failed to comply with the health and safety code.
Despite repeated warnings, the factory had also failed to take any corrective measures and was unable to prove its commitment in maintaining a standard of health and hygiene.
Al Qasimi explained that the main reasons for the administrative closure included:
- Failure to comply with rules of hygiene
- Presence of insects in multiple places within the areas of production
- Products stored in the refrigerator did not carry food labels
- Some products had a fake date of production
He noted that ADFSA inspectors had previously issued three final warnings against the facility in March and May 2018, and confirmed that the closure “will continue until the violations are rectified, and will reopen once the conditions are met”.
Al Qasimi pointed out that the “factory closure comes within the framework of the inspectors’ efforts to strengthen the adherence of food safety rules in the emirate of Abu Dhabi,” which also emphasises on enforcing the strict policy code issued by authorities.
He urged the public to report food safety violations by contacting the Abu Dhabi Government Contact Centre on the toll free number 800 555.