Food Hygiene by Abu Dhabi’s Food Safety Authority

Managing your business effectively is vital for your food safety. This section contains information on different management issues.

Food Control Permission

Regulation No. (6/2010), Article 3 The food business operator within the Emirate shall abide by the licensing requirements issued by the Authority.

The food business operator must obtain a permission from Abu Dhabi Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) in order to commencing the food business in Abu Dhabi Emirate.

In addition to the general license the operator is required to seek an additional permitsfor any extension to the scope of activities. This includes but not limited to (1) thehandling of non-Halal food and (2) the use of temporary premises or mobile vehicles.

Traceability (one step backward)

Recent food scares, both nationally and internationally, have make it essential forGovernments to be able to trace food quickly if they receive evidence of unsafe foodanywhere in the supply chain. ADAFSA have issued requirements for traceability in linewith international best practice as can be seen in Article 4 Regulation 6 of 2010. Whilst most operators in the food chain have to be able to identify both their suppliers and customers (referred to as one step back and one step forward) it is not feasible forretailers to keep detailed records of their customers. However, it is required to keep fulldetails of all suppliers with contact details, so that they can be contacted in case of emergency. The following details represent a minimum of information required to comply with the Regulations:

• Supplier
• Address of
• Full contact details (including out of hours emergency numbers).
• Nature and description of the food
• Any supplier batch
• The delivery

Training Requirement

Regulation No. (6/2010), Article 5 The food business operator shall ensure that food handlers are trained and demonstrate knowledge and skills in food safety & good hygienic practices, as applicable to their assigned tasks, and have further obtained the official food safety training programs certification. ADAFSA requires that all food handlers to have minimum training in any aspect of food safety levels. This may be followed by more specific training requirements, for those with greater responsibility in the business. The (EFST) program is based on international best practice and is a mandatory training requirement for all food handlers in Abu Dhabi Emirate. This program is ran by governmental body called Abu Dhabi Quality and Confirmatory Council (QCC).