Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) has organised a conference to strengthen control systems to reduce the risks of food fraud in the country and the wider Arabian Gulf region through exchange of expert information, experiences and practices.
The conference, held on Wednesday under the slogan “Together to combat food fraud,” provided a platform to facilitate the exchange of knowledge to enhance the level of food safety and tackle ways to protect consumers and the food sector from food fraud and raising awareness of its dangers.
Participants included regulators in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, experts from the leading global regulatory authorities in the field of combating food fraud and international organisations, representatives of authorities at the UAE level, and the private sector, including food producers, manufacturers and establishments.
Anti-food fraud procedures
The conference tackled the implementation of anti-food fraud procedures at the national level, exchanging information and experiences among participating authorities on detecting food fraud and verifying fraudulent practices, and assessing the impact of food fraud practices on food supply chains to identify necessary measures to combat these practices.
Officials also highlighted systems to develop early warning systems, risk management strategies, and enhance detection, prediction, and evaluation of food fraud cases, while raising awareness of the risks posed to consumers and the food sector due to food fraud.
Roadmap
Dr Mariam Hareb Al Suwaidi, Deputy Director General for Operational Affairs at ADAFSA, emphasised the conference’s importance in reviewing and exchanging the latest global practices and developments in combating food fraud and developing a roadmap for collective work at the local and regional levels to monitor and combat food fraud practices across all stages of the food chain.
Al Suwaidi said: “ADAFSA is currently implementing a comprehensive roadmap to develop a strategy to combat food fraud throughout all stages of the food chain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This requires intensifying national efforts, cooperation, coordination, and integration among the various regulatory bodies in the country and stakeholders from producers, manufacturers, food establishments, and consumers to protect society and support fair practices in the food trade.”
She added: “Organising this international conference underscores ADAFSA’s commitment to promoting food safety and health and protecting consumers from the risks of food fraud.
“This is achieved through strengthening cooperation with various stakeholders and developing food control systems.
“The conference provides a valuable platform for dialogue for all food sector stakeholders in the GCC countries to discuss global food fraud challenges, exchange best practices to protect consumers and establishments from falling victim to it and reduce its spread. It also offers an ideal opportunity to identify and effectively combat fraudulent practices, exchange expertise, and foster cooperation among participants.”
Detecting food fraud
ADAFSA also organised an exhibition to showcase the latest technologies used in detecting food fraud. ADAFSA experts presented several papers and presentations on its efforts in combating food fraud.
ADAFSA is committed to supporting efforts to combat food fraud by participating in relevant global events, intensifying its inspection efforts on imported food products entering the emirate through its ports and points of sale, and educating consumers on how to identify, deal with and report food fraud practices.
This is in line with its overall efforts to maintain food safety, increase consumer confidence in the safety of the food chain and achieve global leadership in food security.
