International Food Safety Conference concludes

The concluding day's session, chaired by Dr. Tamir Al Najjar, Professor, Department of Natural and Quantitative Science, Zayed University, witnessed presentation of three papers by international experts in the field of food safety.

The first paper of the day titled, "International food laws and regulations," was presented by Syed Amjad Ali of the US office of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

He said the Codex Alimentarius Commission founded in 1963 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) /World Health Organization (WHO) aims to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair food trade practices. Codex Alimentarius Commission, which meets every year, includes 172 member countries and adopts standards and assigns new work to subsidiary bodies.

The important issues dealt by the Commission include risk analysis principles, and the role of factors other than science within risk analysis, method of production labeling is non-safety issue, equivalence, within both the framework of sanitary measures and non-technical measures, microbiological risk assessment and the role of the FAO/WHO bodies of international expert, use of antimicrobials (Chlorine) in food processing.

He said the new challenges for Codex and national governments are growth in world food trade, increasing concern regarding food-borne diseases, new food technologies and products, risk of food terrorism, status of Codex standards under WTO agreements.

The second paper of day, titled "Regulation of Genetically Modified foods in Saudi Arabia," was presented by Dr. Hamad A Al Awfy, Director General of Laboratories and Quality Control, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Saudi Arabia.
The paper focused on the regulations of the genetically modified foods in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the importance of those legislations to protect consumer health and safety.

Al Awfy said the Ministerial Decision No. 1666 dated 15/9/1421H (10/12/2000) resolved to place a label on genetically modified food products by the use of biotechnology, genetically modified products by the use of biotechnology, to be imported into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, shall be allowed for consumption and use in their own producing countries, all genetically modified foodstuffs (allowed to be imported into the Kingdom) shall be in accordance with morally and legally established rules in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, importation of foods made of genetically modified animal products by the use of biotechnology is hereby banned.

The third paper, "Food safety challenges in the Middle East," was presented by Dr. P. Vincent Hegarty, Dean, College of Food and Agriculture, UAE University.

"A safe food supply is critical in the Middle East to ensure high quality public health, competitive food export markets, safe food imports, development of new growth industries such as tourism and biotechnology," he said.

Hegarty said the UAE imports food from more than 90 countries and food safety depends on GAP (Government Accountability Project) and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) in food exporting countries, good inspection systems in UAE and GCC, safe distribution, storage, and sale of food and consumer awareness of food safety in the home, shops, restaurants, and street food.

He suggested that the College of Food and Agriculture at UAE University can assist in training and research in food safety, expertise at all points in the food chain in the departments of arid land agriculture, food sciences, agribusiness and consumer science and human nutrition and health.

The UAE imports 30,000 Mt beef worth US$10 million from India (73%), Australia (10%) and New Zealand (4%) and 136,000 Mt of poultry worth US$11.7 million from Brazil (58%), France (13%), and Denmark (13%), 530,260 Mt fresh vegetables worth US$4 million from Pakistan (23%), India (22%), Iran (12%), 60,000 Mt powdered milk worth US$0.2 million from Netherlands (30%), New Zealand (22%) and Denmark (8%).

Dubai has 130 food processing facilities, 1500 restaurants (most have a "C" grade), in addition to food imports, exports and re-exports establishments. The UAE, until 2003 had 3,000 convenience stores, 900 grocery stores, 450 supermarkets, 226 gas marts, 95 superstores, and 45 hypermarkets.