As part of its preparations for the holy month of Ramadan, the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) has been carrying out intensive inspection campaigns targeting food facilities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This reflects ADAFSA's continuing efforts to ensure implementing the highest food safety standards in the emirate, ensure the compliance of food facilities with health requirements and precautionary measures for preventing the spread of COVID-19, and correct wrong practices by following approved procedures.

During the holy month, ADAFSA will concentrate on inspecting food warehouses, distribution centers and retail stores, to ensure their readiness to fulfill consumers' food needs according to the best food safety standards. In addition, ADAFSA formed a team of inspectors to ensure the facilities' commitment to its food safety-related circulars, and to follow up the implementation of measures to combat COVID-19. The authority also takes direct and strict actions against facilities failed to comply with food safety standards.

Furthermore, ADAFSA noted that its inspection teams will tighten control over places for storing and displaying food, to ensure the implementation of health and food safety standards in the food businesses. To promote food handlers to assume responsibility for adhering to food safety practices and requirements, the inspectors will educate food workers to the best practices for ensuring food safety, including ways to store food properly and keep food preparation areas clean, the importance of maintaining personal hygiene, providing the necessary sanitizers in the facility, hand washing in designated places, wearing protective clothing, such as headwear, masks and gloves, and closing any openings in the doors and windows of food storage facilities.

Recently, ADAFSA conducted over 21,000 inspection visits to the emirate's food facilities, including restaurants, groceries and other food outlets. In addition to ensuring the compliance of 18,388 facilities with the necessary requirements, the visits ended up with issuing 106 notices, 458 warnings, 1,989 final warnings and 54 violations against facilities failed to comply with food safety rules and requirements.
Apart from its control efforts, ADAFSA revealed its intention to launch a wide awareness campaign for food workers and consumers, to educate them about the needed guidelines in all stages of food chain, from receiving, storing, preparing, cooking, preserving and serving food. In addition, they will be introduced to the potential risks resulting from undertaking wrong practices while handling food within a facility.

Additionally, ADAFSA will launch awareness campaign and interactive activities on its official accounts on social media, to raise the public awareness about the best food practices, handling food safely and ways to reduce food waste.

ADAFSA urged consumers to report any violations detected in any food facility by contacting Abu Dhabi Government Contact Center on 800555. This helps the authority's inspectors take the necessary action, to ensure providing safe and healthy food for all consumers across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi