Dubai: The number of food establishments in Dubai has been increased by 50% during the past year. Dubai Municipality’s Food Safety Department has registered 1,343 new food establishments in 2021. As a result, the number of inspections also increased by 12% compared to 2020. The department has carried out 76,195 inspection visits to food establishments in the emirate last year.

The number of communications received by the Municipality Call Center last year was 4,961; that is an average of 13 reports per day due to violations related to public safety, and others related to non-compliance with the precautionary measures and requirements to confront the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

Sultan Al Taher, Director of Food Safety Department at Dubai Municipality said that the Municipality has monitored a great level of commitment by food establishments to abide by the procedures and requirements that it has set, in terms of public safety measures during the recent period, due to the increase in campaigns and inspection and awareness visits carried out by the Food Safety Department.

He said that the Municipality was keen to intensify its daily inspection campaigns, and that its inspectors dealt with violations with strict procedures without complacency, and during the supervisory visits, they scrutinized the daily follow-up records of the health of workers, writing down sterilization and disinfection operations, and making sure that food safety requirements were applied during food receiving, preparation, storage, and display at healthy temperatures, and cleaning and sterilization procedures are applied to prevent cross-contamination and pest control.

Al Taher noted that the inspectors are working on calibrating the temperature control devices and thermometer in the food establishments, as well as making sure that foods are provided and received from an approved food source with the relevant documents, and appropriate equipment, devices and space according to the food establishment's activity.

He explained that the Municipality checks food establishments in the emirate of various activities, such as restaurants, cafeterias, cafes that offer food, groceries, supermarkets, and bakeries and it also inspects and monitors delivery vehicles, to ensure that they are sterilized, and maintain food safety procedures after each order, and change delivery workers to masks and gloves.