Dubai-based Arabian Park Hotel said it has become the first three-star hotel in the Middle East to receive ‘menu-safe’ Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) certification.

HACCP is considered the gold standard in the food industry, and means that a certified organisation has taken strict steps to reduce or eliminate food safety hazards, said a stataement from the Wafi Group-owned hotel.

“I am absolutely delighted with the news of our HACCP certification – another first for Arabian Park Hotel!” said general manager Mark Lee. 'This means the diners can enjoy an unparalleled level of food safety at the hotel,' he added.

The management of Arabian Park Hotel worked closely with the Menu-Safe team to obtain the certification, and the entire process took approximately 10 weeks to complete.

'During this time the kitchen staff carried out the mandatory training and self audits, and made the necessary changes to their working system in the kitchen.'

'The hotel also conducted weekly training sessions with the kitchen team in order to ensure that all staff were fully briefed and prepared in order to ensure a consistent work environment irrespective of who is on duty,' Lee explained.

Girish Babu, Chef de Cuisine of Arabian Park Hotel, said, “We first started considering HACCP certification during the second half of 2009 and we started to research the most effective way of approaching this project.'

'We met the team involved with Menu-Safe and soon afterwards realized that working with them would provide us with a very viable option for obtaining certification,” he added.

Menu-Safe is a revolutionary food safety management system, and is the only international HACCP system that has been categorically proven to work for the hospitality, catering and food service industries.

“It was an absolute pleasure working with Arabian Park and their dedicated kitchen team. They were so enthusiastic, and it was reassuring to meet chefs who appreciated that food safety is a totally integrated part of food production, and not a separate issue,” remarked Dr Jeremy Taylor, general manager of TSI Quality Services, the company behind Menu-Safe in the UAE.

The Menu-Safe HACCP audit also ensures that the hotel is compliant with all the necessary food safety measures, and that the kitchen team has been fully trained to ensure they are working within the required standards.

“This achievement reinforces our objective of being market leaders within the mid-market hotel segment, not only within the UAE, but also within the Middle East. Girish Babu and his team have worked extremely hard and I am very proud of their achievements,” Lee remarked.-TradeArabia News Service