Safety of Purchasing Food Products in times of COVID-19

Wholesale distributors and suppliers across the entire chain of food products and groceries in the UAE (United Arab Emirates) have been adhering to stringent protocols amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. People have been wondering about the safety of buying food products from supermarkets and stores. The positive development is that guided by the Government of the UAE, there are strict protocols and operational procedures in place for ensuring complete product safety, right from the point of sourcing imports to the entire distribution and supply chain and also the final point of sale in the country. Dubai Municipality authorities including the Head of Food Trade Control Section (Food Safety Department), Dr. Essam Al Hashmi, has stated that in case of imports of food products, we are executing all vital safety processes/measures. Food samples coming from various locations are tested for appropriate safety levels by inspectors. 

Group director at Al Maya Group, one of UAE’s biggest wholesale food distributors (through Al Maya Distribution) and one of its biggest retailers with more than 50 supermarkets, Kamal Vachani, has stated that most of the suppliers of the Group, with whom the brand has long and fulfilling relationships, are established industry players who follow stringent standards of safety at the origination point/source itself. Quality import checks have also been scaled up and implemented widely in the present scenario according to him. Vachani has also stated that hygiene based protocols have been clearly laid out at each step of the supply chain for ensuring that products are safely handled including the Group’s Al Aweer based cold storage facility or when they are transported to its various stores and also stacked/unpacked across shelves. 

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The safety standards being followed include complying with directions issued by authorities, ensuring personal hygiene measures are stepped up, adequate number of PPEs for staff members and strict social distancing while handling imports. Checks are being done frequently for ensuring the freshness and safety of perishable commodities while sanitization is being done for containers. Drivers are using sanitizers frequently while import handling operations teams are being trained on hand-washing and safe procedures for handling stocks. Vendors are being engaged for ensuring safe transportation facilities for perishable commodities while quality assurance (QA) checks are being done for imported items for confirming their adherence to safety standards. According to Vachani, if items like apples are imported from the USA, for example, they will require 35 days to come to the brand if they arrive by sea. If they arrive by air, it will require approximately 14-15 hours on an average. Add 3-4 hours of clearance time at ports along with at least 2 hours for store-based distribution. Along with safety controls at the source point itself and throughout the entire logistics network, the time taken to reach is sufficient for allaying all worries regarding contamination possibilities according to him.