Dubai Municipality: Dubai eateries to get award for best food safety practises

"Under the patronage HE. Eng. Hussain Nasser Lootah , Director General of Municipality, we have constituted an award for Dubai eateries for their best practices to ensure food safety," he said.

"This award , we think, is first of its kind in the region. We aim to upgrade the levels of food safety prevailing in the establishments by creating an opportunity for healthy competition," he further said.

He said what prompted civic body to initiate the move is the thought to change the traditional punitive measures to maintain food safety.

Inspections and controls that may followed by fines and other punishments has its take but this positive step may educate them how to 'control' themselves, he hoped.

According to him, municipality may observe eateries on what non-traditional styles they adopt to solve the food safety issues in the establishments.

What new initiatives the food establishments may implement to build a food safety culture and keep it on, would be taken to account when considered for the award.

Best practices with low expense and zero negative impact on the environment will be considered a big plus.

There will be different award categories like best hotel, best restaurant, best catering service, best food import company, best cafeteria and best supermarket.

It is learnt that Dubai Municipality food control department has started receiving nominations for the award.

Apart from food safety experts hailing from the municipality, bodies from outside also would be part of evaluation machinery.

Food control officials said that Director General, DM Eng. Hussain Nasser Lootah will give away awards to winners in January next year in a program of which details yet to be published.