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Dubai Municipality's 16th annual International Food Safety Conference concluded its events and workshops with several recommendations for the food sector. The conference was held under the theme "Future Directions in Food Safety and Security," which drew participants from around the world, including numerous specialists and experts in the food sector. A record 3,100 people attended the conference, featuring 68 scientific posters in various food safety specialties and over 120 specialized lectures and workshops conducted by 116 international experts. Futuristic and Global Topics The specialized sessions and workshops at the conference highlighted the newest innovative technologies for sustainable food systems and upcoming regulations seeking to uphold food sustainability and security. The Green Path initiative was also announced at the conference, along with many cutting-edge initiatives and projects launched by Dubai Municipality in food safety. Additionally, to improve mutual collaboration and exchange of knowledge on food regulations and innovations in food inspection, the Municipality also signed an MoU with the Global Food Regulatory Science Society (GFoRSS). Consulting firms working in food safety highlighted various methods and practical solutions at the accompanying exhibition. The exhibition's most significant component was a practical presentation centered on Metaverse technology and how it may be utilized in food safety. Main Recommendations The conference endorsed various recommendations to enhance local, regional, and international food security, safety, and nutrition. Among these recommendations are the significance of harmonizing national, regional, and international laws and regulations to ease the flow of food trade, increasing transparency concerning statutes governing the regulation of imported foods, and fortifying the electronic link between nations for the exchange of electronic health certificates for food to guarantee the secrecy and reliability of import and export certificates. The recommendations further stressed the significance of implementing federal food safety systems and coordinating the monitoring practices used by food establishments with various branches throughout the UAE. It emphasized the importance of the 'One Health' concept in ensuring food safety and protecting the ecosystem, nature, and animals by advancing the control of primary production and its inputs, developing the expertise of food safety auditors in line with the most recent advancements in this field, improving the inspectors' knowledge of latest developments in the field of food inspection, and enhancing understanding of inspectors on modern technologies prevalent in the area of food inspection. Furthermore, the recommendations addressed the significance of promoting food safety as a culture by emphasizing the role of food-trading companies in assuring community protection from foodborne infections and supplying safe and healthy foods, as well as raising community members' awareness on adoption of healthy lifestyles to prevent the spread of non-communicable diseases, in conjunction with health authorities. The recommendations included adopting advanced inspection technologies to detect food pollutants, such as DNA testing for detecting foodborne bacteria, and discussing advanced technologies' role in agricultural production and enhancing food security. It was also recommended that food safety training programs be developed using the Metaverse technology. Moreover, the recommendations further affirmed the need to handle pesticide residues in food effectively by utilizing the extensive databases of several entities and stakeholders worldwide. To achieve food security and safety, the recommendations also underlined the need to set pesticide limits based on risk assessments without limiting foodborne risks to microscopic illnesses due to the requirement to include food-related chemical hazards, such as mycotoxins and pesticide residues. PR/ Expat Media
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