New guidelines for licensing vehicles transporting foodstuff

The emirate's food traders and suppliers have been given a six month grace period to amend their existing fleet in line with a new set of technical specifications pertaining to vehicles transporting various food items.

In a press conference organised by Dubai Municipality on Monday, Khalid Mohammed Sharif, Assistant Director of Public Health Department and Head of Food Control Section at Dubai Municipality, said the civic body has prepared a Cod of Practice for vehicles carrying food stuff in a bid to rid the sector of bad practices such as using normal pick-ups and other vehicles in carrying vegetables and other perishable food items.

He urged the emirate's food traders and suppliers to adhere to the Code of Practice which lists hygiene and safety guidelines concerning transportation of food items. The Municipality will take appropriate action against violators after the grace period which may include fines and non-renewal of vehicle license.

"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. Our ultimate objective is to change the way even a sand-witch from the neighbourhood cafeteria is being delivered to the customer," said Sharif.

Explaining the procedures for certifying food transportation vehicles, he said, all food establishments in Dubai must first submit an application in this regard to the Food Control Section, along with a copy of the Trade License, contact details (address, telephone numbers, email, contact person...etc), details and specifications of the vehicle (vehicle no., capacity, temperature control specifications...etc), health certificates for the staff including drivers, helpers, sales executives, and assistants with at least 3 months validity, employee training records, and specifying type of food items that will be carried in the vehicle (meat, chicken, fish, dairy products, vegetables or fruits). If the vehicles are licensed in other emirates than Dubai, then it must belong to a food supplier approved by Dubai Municipality.

The Municipality, in cooperation with the RTA, will inspect the vehicle at a specified location in Warsan and verify the documents to ensure their compliance with the stated requirements before issuing the final approval on the type of food that can be transported. Validity for such an approval shall be for one year, following which the same procedures would be repeated. A sticker, in different colours depending on the type of food that is carried by each vehicle (green for vegetables, red for meat...etc), will be pasted in a visible place on the vehicle showing the validity of the license. The Food Control Section will cancel the approval if the food establishment in question does not meet the health and hygiene requirements.

"Our objective behind introducing this code is to root out the practice of using any vehicle to carry food items. Many traders say they use pick-up, for instance, to carry food for one or two hours. But, given the extreme weather conditions in summer, this is enough time to get the food contaminated," he said.

"We have discussed the mechanism to implement this code with officials of the Licensing Department at the RTA. Meetings were also held with representatives of food transportation companies and food suppliers in December last to know their viewpoints on the new procedures," he added.

Sharif noted that Dubai Municipality and the RTA had agreed upon an effective mechanism to implement the manual with effect from this month (May) onwards.

"The new system would contribute remarkably to reduce food poisoning cases. In conjunction with the RTA, we will enforce tighter control on the process of transporting food items," he said.