Food safety developments in the GCC

A REPORT on ‘Feeding the Growing Appetite of the GCC F&B Market’ issued by Orient Planet Research suggests that the GCC’s booming population and tourism will impact the region’s food and beverage industry in the coming years. Citing an industry study, it says that food consumption will reach 51.9 million metric tons by 2019, rising at a compound annual growth rate of 3.5% between 2014-19. 

These figures indicate that food consumption levels in the region – not only by the indigenous and expat population but also by tourists that frequent the region regularly – call for serious food safety management systems to ensure that the quality of food offerings is intact.

Tourist-friendly cities in the GCC are touted as holiday and shopping destinations for visitors who not only appreciate the shopping arena but also the diverse, multi-faceted culinary options available.

Struggles with HACCP compliance

HACCP (Hazard analysis and critical control points) management is now an effective system of managing and avoiding food hazards. Across the Middle East, this implementation posed problems especially for SMEs, due to language, cultural, education and expertise differences. Now, food control authorities are encouraging manufacturers to get certified and receive training via authorized bodies available in the region. DNV (Det Norske Veritas) is one that offers F&B operators achieve HACCP certification and other related accreditations. The Dubai Municipality in the UAE also takes keen note in creating food safety awareness with all trainers approved by itself. Training includes information about basic and intermediate food hygiene, HACCP awareness and implementation. 

Food safety also lowers food waste

A study conducted by Dubai Municipality shows that food safety practices in the urban city’s manufacturing companies can reduce food wastage, which was the highest among meat processing units, followed by dairy manufacturing and flour and pasta manufacturers.

While a lot is spoken on surplus food layouts, a Dubai Municipality official studied the impact of food safety management systems on food waste, suggesting that that one-third to half of landfill waste came from the food industry. Food loss was an issue caused by many a reason, such as spoilage and contamination, temperature tempering, pest infestation, unacceptable storage practices, expiry concerns and lack of authorization due to food safety and labelling by authorized bodies.

Certifying quality

As of October 2014, NSF International, a global independent public health organization that tests and certifies products for the water, food, health sciences and consumer goods industries, was approved by Emirates Standard Metrology Authority (ESMA) in the United Arab Emirates to provide auditing and testing for the Emirates Quality Mark certification of bottled drinking water. The Emirates Quality Market is a mark of approval awarded to a product found compliant with a relevant standard and is manufactured by a firm implementing HACCP system.

All bottled waters sold in the UAE from local and international bottlers need to be certified with the Emirates Quality mark. Certified bottled drinking water manufacturers will be audited by NSF International to evaluate their conformation to standards. The product will be reviewed for microbiological and chemical quality, too.  – Zainab Mansoor