Abu Dhabi authority destroys 40 tonnes of food

ABU DHABI // Almost 40 tonnes of expired or badly stored food was destroyed by food safety officials last month. Mohammed al Rayayas, a spokesman for the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, said in the month before Ramadan more food is imported into the country, which may account for the volume of destroyed food. "You have to check all things when you have storage problems," he said.

"Sometimes a small problem can mean big numbers of food is destroyed. If the standards are not there or the temperature wasn't OK, then we have to destroy it." However, Mr al Rayayas said food outlets and suppliers were becoming more cautious about food safety compared with last year. "If you compare with last year and before, the numbers [of fines and closures] are going down, which means people are more vigilant," he said. "They are following standards and trying to make sure everything is in better conditions.

"Every time our people go to visit places, they advise people and try to explain why it is important to have the regulations. After, if they are not following them there will be penalty. But we start as advisor so places know our standards." mdetrie@thenational.ae