Ministry of Climate Change and Environment: Food Security is a National Priority

Wednesday 10 August 2016
Majd Mohamed Azmi Naser Alherbawi, Director of Food Safety Department at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment

Dubai - MENA Herald: The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment emphasized that all food products in the UAE, whether locally produced or imported, are safe for consumption as they are strictly monitored by the ministry and relevant local authorities.
In a statement released by the ministry aimed at making the public aware of its regulations, the ministry said that no food products are released for human or animal consumption unless they comply with local guidelines and standards.
Majd Mohamed Azmi Naser Alherbawi, Director of Food Safety Department at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, said that food safety is one of the most important pillars of food security in the UAE and that maintaining good and safe food is a national priority. She added that this is why the ministry coordinates with all relevant authorities to ensure that the legislative and monitoring regulations relevant to food safety are systematically followed.
From a legislative perspective, Alherbawi stated that federal law no. 10 (for the year 2015) on food safety includes a number of important regulations that ensure the safety of animal feeds and food products, whether they are locally produced, imported or passing through the country’s borders, to make sure that they adhere to health regulations and specifications. The law stipulates strict penalties for violations including selling adulterated, unsafe or spoilt food and for those who mislead consumers or sell food items that contain ingredients that are not permissible according to Islamic regulations.
Given that most food products in the UAE are imported, the country pays great attention to monitoring tools including increasing the material and human resources at the border entry points and in national laboratories that depend on modern technologies and following best practices. The ministry prohibits the importation of any animal products other than those coming from slaughterhouses that are licensed, subject to field inspections to ensure that they conform to national, health and religious rules and regulations.
With regards to the feed that is used in the fisheries, Rashid Mohammed Said AlShihi, Oceanography Specialist at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, indicated that the ministry seeks to meet the increasing demand on fish and seafood products and ensures that the feed conforms to specified regulations. No animal feed or food products are allowed through the border entry points unless they are accompanied by documents and certificates that ensure that they abide by the local specifications and health regulations.
It is worth noting that the federal law n. 10 (for the year 2015) on food safety prohibits carrying out any trade, industrial or professional activity in the UAE that pertains to selling feed, including running facilities for preliminary production before getting the official pre-approval from the local authorities. In addition, manufacturers, producers and importers of feed must register their product before selling them.

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