Food Safety and Health: A Practical Guide for People Living in Dubai

What to know and how to stay safe

1. 1

   Know the law that protects your food

   Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan approved the Federal Law No. 10 of 2015 on Food Safety (PDF, 250 KB). It sets standards and regulations for maintaining the safety and quality of food and ensuring the protection of public health and consumers. Understanding that this framework exists helps you know your rights as a consumer.

   Documents:Food Safety law (PDF)
2. 2

   Understand who oversees food safety in Dubai

   In the emirates of Dubai and Sharjah, food safety falls under the scope of the respective municipal authorities. Local municipalities oversee food safety requirements and ensure that products have correct labels and expiry dates for consumption. If something looks wrong on a shelf, these are the bodies responsible.

3. 3

   Always check labels and expiry dates

   Before you buy or eat, read the label and the expiry date. Local municipalities specifically work to ensure that products carry correct labels and expiry dates, so a missing, unclear, or altered label is a genuine warning sign worth avoiding.

4. 4

   Be alert to misleading descriptions

   The law treats honesty seriously. Misleading consumers by publishing a false description of food or using incorrect labels will attract a fine ranging from AED 10,000 to 100,000. If you suspect a product is falsely described, you can raise it with the relevant municipal authority.

5. 5

   Watch for proper documents on imported food

   Imported food should enclose documents issued by the carrier in the country of origin. For businesses handling imports this is a requirement; for shoppers it is a reassurance that properly imported goods are traceable back to their source.

   Documents:Carrier documents from country of origin
6. 6

   Report concerns and keep good habits

   The law imposes strict penalties on those found to be endangering food safety across the UAE, so reporting matters. Alongside this, everyday habits keep you well: store perishable food cold, wash produce, keep raw and cooked food apart, and cook thoroughly. When in doubt about a specific rule or a current amount, check the authority's website.

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