United Arab Emirates

Codex Contact Point

Ms. Khadija Qalandari Ministry of Industry & Advanced Technology

Telephone:
+97142944434
+97142084318

Fax:
+97142944112

Email:
[email protected]
[email protected]

Competent authorities

Name of authority:
Emirates Authority for Standards & Metrology
Mandate/competence:
www.esma.gov.ae

INFOSAN Emergency Contact Point

The INFOSAN Emergency contact point in UAE is food safty departement in Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.

Food safety and consumer protection – laws and regulations

The current list of legislation, related to food safety and consumer protection in each country, is extracted from FAO's database on Food Legislation FAOLEX. While FAOLEX makes every effort to serve as a high quality, reliable source of information, no guarantee is given that the information provided in FAOLEX is correct, complete, and up-to-date.

The national Codex programme

National Codex consultative mechanism

Emirates Authority for Standards & Metrology (ESMA) Formulating and issuance of national standards of UAE as well as adopting international standards and mandatory standards issued by binding resolutions of the Council Ministers.
Working on consumer protection, environment and national market and strengthening the national economy.

Providers of scientific and technical input to national consultation on Codex

Federal Legislations and regulations are developed and initiated by the Emirates Authority for Standards & Metrology which is part of the GCC standards organization (GSO).
Coordinated through some stakeholders such as national technical committee for food standards , GSO, National / Gulf food safety committee, food control departments is part of the municipality of each Emirate and private sector .

Risk Assessments and Scientific Data

National bodies providing risk assessment and scientific advice

National / Gulf food safety committee

Risk assessment, risk profiles, scientific opinions

Each food control authority at different Emirates has awareness programs which are directed towards the public. These program entail many activities such as delivering food safety messages through different media means, as well as school programs. Additionally, each food control authority has different educational publications which are distributed regularly to the public. All food control authorities have various programs which are directed to different sectors of the food industry. Recently, Dubai Municipality (DM) has started a program named "person – In charge" or "PIC" which requires that all food establishment should have someone in charge of food safety and quality at any given time of the food production, whether at retail or manufacturing level. For more details, individual food control authority could provide their programs.

Official Laboratories

Official Laboratory:
Dubai Central Laboratory (DCL)
Central Testing Laboratory in Abu Dhabi (CTL)

Official Competence:
government labs

Surveillance of foodborne diseases and monitoring of food contamination

National surveillance systems – foodborne disease in humans

Lack of an integrated surveillance system, although DM has recently initiated a program in collaboration with the WHO and CDC to have a national system. Lack of a harmonized food borne surveillance program.

National monitoring systems – foodborne hazards in the food chain

Lack of a harmonized food monitoring systems in the food chain surveillance program.