DO YOU KNOW WHAT’RE THE TOP 10 RANKING BEVERAGES IN UAE?
As per Kantar’s Brand Footprint Ranking 2020, AGTHIA (AL AIN FOODS AND BEVERAGES) has been named to be the most chosen beverage brand in UAE, AL RAWABI has come in the second position and NESCAFE brand on third.
The list comes as follows:
- AL AIN
- AL RAWABI
- NESCAFE
- MASAFI
- COCACOLA
- AL MARAI
- AL AIN FARMS
- MAI DUBAI
- LIPTON
- PEPSI
WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE ESMA’S INITIATIVE
‘’KNOW WHAT YOU EAT’’
As per Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA)’s initiative ‘’know what you eat’’, the authority has posted pieces of advice on their social media portals; to support the consumers with the awareness program about food products and how consumers can identify whether the food items are safe.
The announcements are as follows:
- (FATS % in FOOD)
Make sure to check the percentage of trans fats in the food label to ensure that you are not exceeding 1% of your total daily calories as trans-fat. If you’re following the average diet of 2,000 calories a day, it works out to a mere 2.2 gm of trans fat.
- (SPECIAL OFFER)
The amount of savings must be clear to the consumer when purchasing packages that carry the term "economic package" or any phrases that indicate that the package contains an additional free percentage, and this must be proven to the official authorities upon request.
- (PRE-PACKED)
ESMA enhances metrological control of pre-packaged goods to protect consumers rights by ensuring that the quantity of packages is correct and conform to local and international specifications and requirements.
- (BREAD)
Bread loses fresh taste after 24 hours of production, be sure to purchase bread for your daily consumption. In case of purchasing more than your daily need, it’s preferred to freeze it and reheat it upon need. Learn about the shelf life of chilled and frozen bread.
- (HONEY)
Pure Honey is classified as an obligatory product to be certified in accordance with Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme (ECAS), while Honey product with additives such as nuts, spices and other additives is exempt from this regulation.
- (SWETTENERS)
Sweeteners are not usually consumed as a stand-alone food, but they are added to food for technical reasons during manufacture, preparation, processing, packaging, transportation, and storage. Learn how to read the alerts about sweeteners in the ingredient’s menu.
- (EGGS)
The consumer can easily know the source of the eggs, the green stamp indicates that the product is locally imported from the GCC, while the eggs stamped in red indicate that the product is imported from other countries.
- (FOOD LABELLING)
Learn more about how to read food expiration dates to keep you and your family safe & healthy.
- (FOOD CONSUMPTION)
Buying food in large quantities leads to increased consumption and more damaged materials due to poor storage conditions or the expiration of the shelf life, but if there is a need to store food, some basics tips must be known when storing.
- (COLOR ADDITIVIES)
Some color additives that could be added to food for manufacturing purposes might negatively influence children’s activity and concentration. To ensure their safety, check the warnings under the food ingredient on labels.
- CREAM ANALOGUE VS CREAM PRODUCTS
|
|
CREAM ANALOGUE |
CREAM PRODUCTS |
|
Product name on the packaging |
Cream analogue |
Cream |
|
Components |
Vegetable oil |
Dairy fat & dairy products |
|
Nutritional value and calories |
Lower |
Higher |
NEW TECHNICAL REFULATIONS BY ESMA
‘’AIR QUALITY MONITORING STATIONS’’
The Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA) has completed the preparation of a draft technical regulation to control the systems of stations for measuring air quality in the country, with the aim of developing mandatory standards and requirements that should be provided in the environmental monitoring networks and air quality measurement laboratories at the state level, which will be reflected in support of the UAE’s vision and the National Agenda 2021.
It is an integrated national project, and it is considered the first of its kind in the region.
From Source: READ MORE
34 PROJECTS UNTIL 2026 FOR
‘’RATIONALIZATION ENERGY CONSUMPTION’’
The Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology "ESMA" launched a national awareness campaign on social media platforms and in local radio networks, in several languages, in addition to internal awareness leaflets for employees, to raise awareness of energy conservation, which continues throughout the summer months, under the title "Our Summer is Safe, Saving "This is in the context of keenness to educate the public in the country about the laws, regulations and standard specifications related to rationalizing energy consumption, and increasing safety and security indicators in society."
Abdullah Abdul Qadir Al Maeeni, Director General of ESMA, confirmed that the authority is working within its 2017-2021 strategy that has been developed, in line with the goals of the National Agenda 2021 by setting 4 strategic objectives, all of which serve to ensure the quality and safety of products in the local markets. Whether the products are locally manufactured or imported from abroad, in a way that promotes sustainable development and quality of life in the country.
ESMA has made several achievements in this file, while it is currently working on launching about 34 new projects to rationalize energy consumption until 2026, of which 7 projects for the current year include: self-driving vehicles, electric bicycles, "scooters", and efficiency. Energy for electric elevators, street lighting, and vacuum cleaners, and updating the list of refrigerators and freezers.
From Source: READ MORE
NEW AI PROGRAMS ADOPTED BY ESMA
Abdullah Abdul Qadir Al Maeeni, Director General of the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA), confirmed that the authority has adopted, within a national approach, a package of future foresight programs in the field of measurement.
Robots and the mobile laboratory, while the authority provided remote verification services to the industrial and commercial sectors, using technology, overcoming current challenges.
In a statement, on the occasion of the UAE’s participation in the rest of the world in the celebration of the International Day of Metrology, which falls on May 20 annually, Al-Maeeni said: In cooperation with the EMIRATES METROLOGY INSTITUTE, we are creating a “Metrological Chemistry Laboratory” during the coming period, in order to apply accurate measurements of air quality that improve the quality of life.
And other measures that affect the safety of personnel and workers in testing laboratories in chemical laboratories.
https://www.albayan.ae/economy/local-market/2020-05-20-1.3863529
NEW OPPORTUNITIES BETWEEN UAE & GREECE
In the 2nd round of the ‘’STRATEGIC COOPERATION FORUM’’
His Excellency Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Adonis Georgiadis, Minister of Development and Investment of Greece, chaired the second round of the strategic cooperation forum between the two countries, which included a number of discussion and dialogue sessions at the ministerial level and at the level of technical committees.
The second round of the UAE-Greece Strategic Cooperation Forum held virtual meetings to discuss ways to strengthen strategic relations between the two friendly countries and develop areas of bilateral cooperation in a number of fields.
The forum included a number of discussion and dialogue sessions at the ministerial level and at the level of technical committees, which covered common interests between the two countries, including political and development cooperation, trade and investment, culture, energy, digital transformation, and agriculture.
The forum also witnessed the signing of a number of memoranda of understanding in several areas, most notably development cooperation, empowerment of small and medium-sized companies and innovation, digital cooperation, cultural cooperation and cultural and creative industries, in addition to the launch of the UAE-Greek joint tourism plan 2020-2022.
At the corporate level, the forum witnessed an agreement by Eagle Hills and Timis to develop a joint tourism project in the eastern region of Messinia in Greece. The area of land allocated to the project will reach 1.8 million square meters.
The project will include a number of hotels, resorts, sports and entertainment facilities, in addition to some residential complexes. The total value of the project is estimated at 500 million euros.
STANDARDS UPDATES
ESMA has updated the personal protection equipment as part of its efforts in raising the quality of these products based on the global standards and ensure the efficiency of labs in the country and abroad to assess the conformity of these products to the UAE standards.
ESMA has specified some information that should be available in protective clothing, such as signs that related to factory information and symbols that define the quality of protective clothing and where to use it, such as the sign of microorganism’s protection.
NEW STANDARDS
ESMA has issued new standards, in line with the pandemic situation. ESMA has considered standards specification for chemical DISINFECTANTS, STERILIZERS and THERMOMETERS
39 NEW STANDARDS ISSUED BY ESMA
As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ESMA adopted 39 standards, including health protection products. Visit ESMA standards store https://esma.gov.ae/en-us/Services/Pages/Selling-Standards.aspx
ESMA RECONCILES THE SITUATIONS OF 4 CATEGORIES
TO 2021 INSTEAD OF 2020
As an initiative from Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology, 4 categories have been postponed to 2021 instead of 2020 to apply the UAE scheme; such as Textile, Electrical and Solar Energy.
ESMA & ADFCA COLLABORATION
To enhance the bonds of cooperation and achieve a fruitful strategic partnership
Collaboration between "ESMA" and "ADFCA" to develop capacities and coordinate complementary measures
Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA) and Abdu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADFCA) have signed a memorandum of understanding with the aim of developing joint efforts and enhancing cooperation in a national complementary context, in order to support the system of issuing standards and legislation that enhances the competitiveness of the UAE and supports the national economy, in addition to ensuring health and safety Food products as they have a direct impact on the consumer.
The agreement aims to strengthen the bonds of cooperation and achieve a fruitful strategic partnership, by setting the main frameworks and coordination in various areas of standardization, benefiting from the accumulated experiences of the two parties, and exchanging experiences in a way that contributes to developing the legal and technical capabilities of the employees and employees of the two entities.
His Excellency added that the fruitful partnership relations between the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology, the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, and the relevant strategic partners contribute constructively to enriching national legislations, specifications and technical regulations, as well as working to control quality elements and verify specifications to ensure the promotion of food safety and agricultural sustainability in UAE.
His Excellency Abdullah Al Maeeni stressed that these national partnerships contribute to strengthening efforts in support of the sustainable development process in the agricultural and food sector in the UAE, as the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority is one of the largest national institutions working in this vital sector.
For his part, His Excellency Saeed Al Bahri Salem Al Ameri, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, said, “We are proud to cooperate with the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology in all technical and technical fields related to approved standard specifications and technical regulations for agricultural and food products to contribute to raising the level of safety, health, economic and environmental protection for consumers, and enforcement of legislation. He praised the vast experiences of the two institutions and the common desire to maximize their benefits in various fields of work and to develop and apply the methodology for analyzing agricultural and food risks.
The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding from the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology was attended by Dr. Yousef Al Saadi, Director of the Conformity Affairs Department at the Authority, Eng. Khalaf Khalaf, Director of the Standards Department, Mr. Yahya Al Zoraihi, Director of the General Director's Office, and Eng. Ahlam Al Marzouki, Head of Certification Section, and from the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Safety Authority Food, HE Moza Suhail Al Muhairi, Executive Director of Strategy and Performance Sector at Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, Khaled Abdullah Al Marzouqi, Director of Policy and Risk Analysis Department, Bader Hassan Al Shehhi, Director of Strategy and Performance Department, Mohammed Abdul Rahim Al Marzouki, Director of Performance Management Department, and Ghalia Abdullah Al Abdouli, Animal wealth policy researcher.
QUICK RECAP ABOUT DUBAI MUNICIPALITY’S EFFORTS FOR
‘’FOOD SAFETY’’
Takes care of food details in food establishments, through intensive and careful monitoring of public safety standards and ensuring the application of precautionary measures.
Issued a circular to all companies involved in waste management in Dubai, about the need to commit in providing special containers for the collection of masks, gloves, and other personal protection used by citizens and residents.
Launched a free educational program on food safety, via the Food Watch platform, enabling employees at food establishments to learn information about hygiene, avoiding the dangers of food pollutants, and maintaining food safety.
DUBAI IN FIGURES
‘’FOOD CATEGORY’’
Inspected approximately 2.6 million tons of imported food during the first quarter of 2020, using advanced smart systems.
2,653,400 tons of imported food inspected
99,590 imported food shipments
589,570 food products
Treats over 350 tons of medical waste contaminated by COVID-19, since the start of the crisis until the end of last April, at a daily rate of 5 to 6 tons.
Monitors and inspects 2.6 million tons of imported food from January 1 until April 30, 2020, to ensure the health and safety of food shipments arriving to #Dubai.
Continues its efforts by implementing the “Health Supervisor Program,” the best international practices to ensure food health and safety in all food establishments. The number of the designated PIC reached 72,108, periodically subjected to specialized training.
Conducted 48,299 inspection visits related to various activities, During the holy month of Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr, a number of shops were shut down for major violations of the precautionary measures.
A UNIQUE INITIATIVE
Dubai Municipality is promoting the use of artificial intelligence to produce flowers in the Warsan Nursery, using the latest global technologies, with 70 million seedlings a year that can be increased.
Has set internal guidelines to ensure the effectiveness of cloth and medical masks, as the first of its kind in the Arab world, including explanatory instructions for the manufacturing method and quality, safety, and efficiency of masks examinations.
NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR SINGAPORE & UAE BUSINESS FLOW
Dawoud Al Hajri, Director-General of Dubai Municipality held a remote meeting with HE Kamal R. Faswani, Ambassador of the Republic of Singapore to the UAE; they discussed ways to enhance cooperation between their countries and the exchange of global experiences in various fields.
NO ALCOHOL IN DRIVE GUM
Dubai Municipality has officially announced that what have been said about the Energy Gum ‘’DRIVE GUM’’ were false rumors. DM also confirmed that DRIVE GUM product was legally registered and complied with the local standards, and doesn’t contain any alcohol
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