The Arab Beverages Association, one of the committees working under the umbrella of “Arab Federation of Food Industries”, will discuss the standards and best practices for  transportion and storage of foodstuff at a key seminar in Dubai.

The seminar titled “The Specifications and Standards for Transporting and Storing Foodstuff” will be held on Monday on the sidelines of the ongoing Gulfood expo. The initiative comes in light of constant growth of the beverages and foodstuff market in the region, said the organisers.

Representatives from the “Saudi Food and Drug Authority”, “Saudi Standards and Metrics Authority”, “Arab Federation for Food Industries”, “Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology' and the Union of UAE Chambers of Industry and Commerce will attend the seminar.

The seminar, held under the patronage of both “Arab Federation for Food Industries” and the Union of UAE Chambers of Industry and Commerce, aims to discuss a series of worksheets pertaining to the standard specifications and best practices adopted in transporting and storing foodstuff and beverages of diverse canned kinds in addition to the best control standards applied in local markets.

Monther Al Harthi, head of the “Arab Beverages Association” and CEO of  Al Rabie Saudi Foods Company, said the foodstuff and beverages industry sector in the gulf region and the Middle East is witnessing a significant growth.

'This fact stresses the need for providing high quality products that comply with the highest standards of health safety in addition to reinforcing the competitive abilities in the local and regional markets,' he noted.

Accordingly, we have to activate co-operation between all the concerned bodies in elevating the consumers’ sound purchasing culture regarding reviewing the nutrition fact sheet in addition to expanding the range of control on the guidelines for transporting foodstuff and the proper storing methods which insures protecting the consumer’s health against diseases caused by the lack of nutrition awareness.”

Commenting on the seminar, Al Harthi said the association and the Arab Federation for Food Industries both play a vital role in tightening the control over the beverages and foodstuff industry by setting the specifications and standards in compliance with the international health and safety standards.

'In this regard, we are keen to support the joint efforts exerted towards elevating the level of the foodstuff and beverages markets through launching awareness campaigns and educational brochures to enforce awareness amongst workers and consumers alike regarding the importance of the health conditions of transporting, storing and using these materials,' he added.

According to Al Harthi, the validity period of Beverages and Foodstuff is adversely proportional to the speed of deterioration in their quality due to being affected by the different conditions and factors caused by the transportation and storage processes.

'Such different variables may affect the expiration date of these materials and therefore lead to major financial losses or health hazards for the consumers,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service