UAE’s fresh food markets, food trading outlets and selected confectionery stores in shopping malls have gradually reopened, following shutdowns due to COVID-19.
The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) has stressed the need for farms in the region to implement biosecurity requirements to prevent zoonotic diseases from entering the food chain.
The Abu Dhabi Food and Safety Authority (ADFSA) has warned that misinformation related to food safety on the social media platforms is likely to spike during the Ramadan period.
A dairy and beverage factory owned by Al Alamia was ordered to shut down temporarily after officials said the company repeatedly ignored warnings about its food safety lapses.
Health inspectors uncovered more than 1,300 tonnes of rotten fruit, vegetables, meat and being sold at unlicensed markets to poor residents in Dubai in the first half of this year.
Dubai’s municipal authorities will soon begin to apply updated nutrition guidelines in school canteens to encourage healthier choices, while Abu Dhabi is engaging a task force to wage war on over-nutrition.
The UAE has placed food security at the top of its policy priorities and will strive to deliver the “highest possible rates” of sustainability, according to a senior official.
The Korean government is stepping up its food industry promotion in the Middle East with a new regional office and new initiatives, with the aim of growing food exports by 10% year-on-year.
UAE food producer NFPC has broken ground on its new 752,000m2 Kizad factory, and revealed the first phase will be dedicated to its Lacnor, Oasis and Milco beverage divisions.
Moto, a new Dubai-made energy drink, made its entry at Gulfood and is aiming to leverage the emirate’s growing reputation to carve out its identity in a crowded market.
Ports in Abu Dhabi and Oman are set to host major new rice and pulse processing facilities, as Al Dahra and Usher announce projects worth a total of US$78m.
BRF will upgrade its factory in Kizad by 28,000 tonnes next year, four years ahead of schedule, as Binghatti Holding announces plans to build a US$40.8m food facility in Kizad.
The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) has seized 221kg of banned pesticides and other agricultural materials, along with 560kg of unsafe food, in a series of inspections.
The UAE’s Saif Al Khaili Group has signed up to build a food processing facility in Abu Dhabi Ports’ Kizad Food Cluster, as part of a major industrial project, Kizad has announced.
UAE firms Spinneys Dubai and the National Food Products Company (NFPC) are both set to establish new facilities in the Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad), the zone announced.
Regional food manufacturers have seen mixed results 2013, with Savola Group's earnings up 21% and Agthia up 28%, but dairy giant Almarai posting profits of just 4%.
Despite its low food production the UAE has been named by the UN as a potential regional food hub. But the country needs to adopt some ambitious policies and implement a federal food safety law before this can happen.
