On the sidelines of the just concluded 15th Dubai International Food Safety Conference, Dubai Municipality has launched a set of unique initiatives in the field of food safety and nutrition such as Dubai Star, the Green Path, Enhancing Knowledge Efficiency of Food Handlers, and Enhancing Food Transport Systems and Logistics Services through integration with RTA. 

The initiatives were launched with the aim of enhancing food safety and food security efforts and to ensure that all consumers enjoy high-quality food, in addition to emphasizing the exceptional position that Dubai occupies in the food sector.

Sultan Al Taher, Director of the Food Safety Department said Dubai Star is a global initiative through which restaurants will be honored and encouraged annually to implement sustainable practices to produce safe, healthy and high-quality food. 

“Dubai Star will be awarded to the most distinguished restaurants after being evaluated by a multidisciplinary team of experts, such as food safety experts, senior chefs, and those involved in health, safety and sustainability assessment, after ensuring that the Dubai Star standards are met, which include food safety and quality, food quality standards, sustainability, and social responsibility. This award contributes to the leadership of the Emirate of Dubai globally in adopting standards of excellence and honoring the distinguished,” said Al Taher.

“The restaurants whose evaluation result will be 95% or more will receive three stars and two stars will be given to restaurants whose evaluation result will be between 94% to 90%, and restaurants whose evaluation result will be between 89% to 84% will be awarded one star,” he said.

Al Taher said the initiative aims to enhance food safety and quality, by developing food safety systems, raising standards of competitiveness among restaurants, in addition to enabling consumers to choose distinguished restaurants that meet their needs. 

“Submissions for Dubai Star will begin in early January and end on April 30, 2022, and the Dubai Star winners will be announced at the next session of the Dubai International Food Safety Conference, which will be held in November 2022,” he added.

Al Taher explained that Green Path is a pioneering initiative to develop the imported food control system and provide smooth, proactive and integrative services, through which it is possible to directly release types of food according to the risk assessment system and adopt the latest technologies, such as the Internet of Things in tracking and releasing shipments.

“The initiative aims to enhance the principle of transparency and encourage companies that adhere to the requirements of this initiative, to ensure food safety from the origin of food before it reaches the port of entry, and provide fast, integrated and reliable services. This initiative will contribute to enhancing the flow of trade in the Emirate of Dubai while ensuring the safety and quality of food across the various stages of the supply chain, stimulating the investment environment and enhancing food security,” he pointed out.

Al Taher said Enhancing the Knowledge Efficiency of Food Dealers initiative aims to enhance the level of knowledge efficiency of food handlers in food establishments, and adopt the digital transformation of predictive education and the governance of that process, by adopting the best global practices. 

He added that this initiative also embodies cooperation and joint venture with the Dubai Tourism College and the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing as strategic partners of Dubai Municipality, through the establishment of an electronic educational platform, which will be available to food traders.
“It is the first unique platform of its kind managed by a government regulator, represented by the Food Safety Department of Dubai Municipality. This initiative will contribute to the promotion of food systems that are characterized by quality and innovation, and will allow the exchange, analysis and use of Big Data as an important reference for making predictive decisions in this field,” said Al Taher.