Benchmark to check vegetable price manipulation

By PMA RASHEED

28 April 2011, The Gulf Today

Solid parametres to create transparency and stability of prices in the local vegetable market have been implemented by the authorities in the capital.

The Abu Dhabi Farmers’ Services Centre (ADFSC) has set up a weekly price benchmark for locally-grown vegetables, effectively preventing price manipulation by some traders who artificially drive prices high or low.

A top official indicated that the initiative will satisfy customer requirements with competitive prices and quality presentation of the produce, while ensuring a competitive environment for locally-grown products to increase the income of farm owners and develop a sustainable agricultural production.

Christopher Hirst, CEO of the ADFSC, said the weekly list of prices for the purchase of local products from farmers will protect them from daily market fluctuations and the purchase prices will ensure them achieve the highest returns from their products.

The weekly price benchmark has been made available in the vegetables collection centres in the western region of Abu Dhabi.

“The benchmark will create a certain balance in prices through the enhancement of opportunities of marketing the local produce in a way which suits the interest of both the producer and the consumers alike,” he added.

The system sets the average price for the purchase of local produce which is incorporated into supply contracts with farmers, ensuring them a stable marketing opportunity free from the risk of daily price fluctuations.

“Since the beginning of the current farming season, the ADFSC has been implementing different measures to control vegetables prices in the favor of consumers,” he said.

“Customers have witnessed an evident decrease in the cost of vegetables during the last two months as a result of the abundance of local production of fresh vegetables, especially cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbages and eggplants,” according to him.

“Prices of some vegetables also have reduced at unprecedented rates due to the higher volumes of local produce and the increase in the number of marketing channels of the local produce. The ADFSC annual contract agreement enables the farmer to focus on cultivation and production since the marketing is secured for the entire 12-month period.”

“Feasibility studies made about the marketing of the local products suggested that the agricultural marketing centres play a pivotal role as a main marketing channel for farmers and livestock breeders, allowing them to compete in the local market,” elaborated Hirst.

As per the overall price indicator, the majority of vegetables registered a decrease ranging from 40 per cent to 60 per cent during the last two months in comparison with the same period last year.

The centre will launch a comprehensive marketing plan to promote local produce. Infrastructure will be developed to facilitate the delivery, transport, storage and distribution operations of the produce sourced from local farms.

“Provision of suitable marketing channels will guarantee the marketing and the arrival of these products to consumers,” Hirst concluded.

(Pix: Supplied)

‘Food prices may increase at 10% this year’

By PMA RASHEED 

1 March 2011, The Gulf Today

The prices of food items in the UAE might further shoot up this year at an estimated rate of 10 per cent, if necessary strategic measures and policies haven’t been implemented on a strong platform to ensure food security and sufficient stocks in the market, warns a top player in the industry.

The food sector in the Gulf region is facing extremely critical challenges in terms of escalating prices, coupled with the mounting issues on food security and availability of sufficient foodstuff stocks, chairman of Al Ghurair Foods Essa Abdulla Al Ghurair said.
“Prices of grains have been constantly affected by the mounting prices of crude oil in the international markets. The food shortage indications should inspire governments to implement strategic measures to ensure food security,” he added.
“We can expect a better crop harvest season this year to boost our food storage and ensure the food security, unless there’s a drought as happened in Russia last year or the heavy rains flooded the Australia fields,” he added.
While talking on the sidelines of Gulfood 2011, the boss of Al Ghurair Foods expressed his concerns over the political implications for the shortage of food stock and increase in prices.
“We have been implementing numerous projects by enhancing its capacity to ensure sufficient food security in the UAE and the region, in addition to encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle within the region,” he elaborated.
The region’s giant player in the food sector also has recently reopened its canola crushing plant in Jebel Ali, the largest of its seed crushing unit in the Mena region. The present product portfolio of Al Ghurair Foods includes flour, edible oils, pasta, grains, oats and poultry.
Essa indicated, “The facility will increase the group’s production capacity of canola oil up to 4,500 tonnes daily, which was 3,000 tonnes earlier, in addition to a soya crushing capacity of 2000 tonnes.”
“A new wheat storage facility is being developed by Al Ghurair Foods, the region’s pioneer player in the food sector, in tandem with the government of the UAE,” he said.
“The massive storage facility will be unveiled within a couple of years. Al Ghurair’s 300,000-tonne-capacity silos have been allotted to the government’s strategic food reserves until the project is finished,” Essa added.
“The group has plans to widen its GCC reach and expand operations to more Middle Eastern and North African countries. In the near future, we plan to venture out with more projects in Saudi Arabia, by establishing plants capable of crushing 4000 tonnes of Soya bean and 3000 tonnes of canola per day.”
“Other projects in pipeline include launching of a new product and expansion programmes in the North African region. The new wheat silo in Algeria has a storage capacity of 140,000 tonnes. The project has already been commissioned and the loading and unloading of ships will begin very shortly.”

Al Ghurair Foods, the only private sector food manufacturer in the UAE, shares about 35 per cent of the UAE’s flour market and 20 per cent of the animal feed products.

Fizz fuss: ‘No alcohol content in Coke’

By PMA RASHEED

17 Feb 2011, The Gulf Today

A top official of the Dubai Municipality (DM) has ruled out any possibility of alcohol content in Coca Cola sold in Dubai and the UAE market.

He was responding to international media reports claiming that Coca Cola’s tightly-guarded recipe had been leaked out and that it contained certain percentage of alcohol, among a number of other ingredients, in the secret flavour formula.

The fuss about the fizz oozed out after the recipe was reportedly published by National Public Radio’s ‘This American Life’ earlier this week.

Khalid Mohammed Shareef, director of Food Control Department at the DM told The Gulf Today over the phone that there was no alchoholic content in Coke sold in the UAE. 

“The regulations mandate that ingredients should be declared on label and it’s always verified and tested when required,” he added.

“The country has got sufficient mechanisms to ensure that all food items consumed by the residents are safe and free from all prohibited ingredients,” Shareef indicated.

“No alcoholic content was found out in our lab tests in the beverage. The food testing laboratories in the country are operating at the highest global standards, also networked with the all the labs across the world,” he confirmed.

No representative of the Coca Cola in Dubai was available for comments.

But Western media quoted Coca Cola spokesperson Kerry Tressler as saying: “Many third parties have tried to crack our secret formula. Try as they might, they have been unsuccessful because there is only one real thing.”

Municipality enforces ban on alcohol-mixed food in Dubai

BY PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 22 March 2010

The Dubai Municipality (DM) has banned serving of food items containing alcohol ingredients at restaurants and hotels operating in the emirate.

The move by the civic body comes further enforcing an existing local legislation in this regard and extending the federal law on Halal foods to the restaurant and catering services segments too, according to a senior civic official.

The municipality has already issued a circular to all restaurants and hotels forbidding the use of alcohol as an ingredient in preparing meals and other dishes at their outlets.

"Article No.15 of the federal law on Halal foods has been directed to supermarkets or foodstuff traders. The law has now been applied in the food service establishments too, giving them a grace period to completely comply with the specifications," said Ahmed AbdelRahman Al Ali, Head of Food Inspection Section at the DM's Food Control Department.

He told The Gulf Today that a local regulation issued in 2003 specifies on compliance of Islamic rules strictly prohibiting alcohol mix in cooking dishes. The regulation also bans display and sale of such food items.

"Food establishments shall not handle alcohol beverages, unless they obtain a special permission from the authorities concerned. All alcohol items should be completely separate from other food products during storage, preparation and display," explained the circular, a copy of which has been obtained by The Gulf Today.

"The circular has been sent to all food service establishments, in light of the increasing complaints from customers about the mix of alcohol ingredient in dishes," said Al Ali.

"Further inspections proved that many restaurants and hotels have been violating the regulations, often concealing from the customers the fact of alcohol usage in dishes," he pointed out.

According to him, the civic body's concern is to ensure the adherence of local culture and obedience of Islamic principles.

"The DM didn't intend to limit the scope of what the restaurants can serve. And it is not going to affect their businesses or even tourism. However, hotels can serve alcohol upon obtaining a special permission," noted Al Ali.

He explained that menu cards mentioning the food items made with alcohol ingredient, and those without alcohol, is not the way to escape the legislation, inspired by Islamic principles.

"All the offending items should be removed from the menu cards. The alcohol containing dishes are mainly prepared in Italian and French culinary traditions," he added.

'Strict norms govern food imports'

BY PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 6 Aug 2009

Dubai has imported 74,851 foodstuff consignments during the first half of the year 2009, according to sources at Dubai Municipality (DM).
Iman Ali Al Bastaki, head of the food trade unit at DM, said: "A number of 133,347 varieties of food items has been imported to the emirate, in addition to 551,000 tonnes of foodstuff were examined in the municipality laboratories."
"Food consignments are not accepted if unlicensed companies practice food trading activities by importing food items from other countries. The DM also rejects shipments that violate the food label regulations approved by the competent authorities or the rules of import," she added.
According to Bastaki, the foodstuff importing company should have facilities like storerooms that complying the civic bodies rules and regulations regarding the safety of public health. The food control body at DM plays a significant role in controlling the entire foodstuffs imported in the emirate all around the year.
Bastaki pointed out that the food control bodies at the municipality play an outstanding role in controlling all foodstuffs all around the year.
"The foodstuff imported for selling in the emirate should not contain harmful colours which are banned due to their adverse effects on human health. All the food items are made available to consumers after undergoing international standard quality control specifications. Unchecked items are not traded in the country," she noted.
Bastaki pointed out, "The municipality registers all types of imported food items using an advanced global electronic system used all over the world. The system ensures safety of public health as stringent measures have been applied for permission of sales of the imported food items inside the UAE. Similar procedures are applied on food items produced locally."
"Regulations as per the latest food quality verification standards have been applied by the DM. Clauses regarding the food label and expiry date information have to be included as per the new law approved by the Gulf Standards Authority, as well as the laws outlined by the authorities concerned in the UAE," she said.