With that aim, the Food Bank will collect the food items that are being displayed at various stalls at the Gulfood Exhibition and distribute them to the needy people through authorised charity organisations.
The UAE Food Bank, which is participating in the Gulfood Exhibition as part of its activities during the Year of Zayed, has provided seven containers that look like mini food banks at different locations in the exhibition halls for collecting the leftover, fresh food items, in cooperation and under the supervision of the competent authorities.
“The food surplus will be received on the last day of the Gulfood Exhibition under the supervision of a special team of 11 Dubai Municipality employees as well as charities,” said Noora Abdullah Al Shamsi, head of Applied Nutrition and Permits Section in the Food Safety Department of Dubai Municipality.
She said the third site of the Food Bank will be inaugurated soon in Al Muhaisnah, under the patronage of Eisa Saleh Al Gurg Charity Foundation.
She said the bank has been fully committed to the directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in reaching the food to the deserving people.
“We have handed over the food to the needy people at their places, especially the category of workers, in cooperation with charities and institutions in the emirate,” said Al Shamsi.
Extensive reach
The UAE Food Bank collected more than 600 tonnes of food last year benefiting more than 80,000 workers, 12,000 families, and 5,000 workers in distress, in addition to distributing 170,000 cooked meals.
The UAE Food Bank was launched by Shaikh Mohammad, in conjunction with the celebrations marking the 11th anniversary of his Accession Day, following his habit of launching initiatives of a humanitarian and charitable nature.
The bank collects surplus fresh and canned food from hotels, restaurants, hospitality establishments, farms, food factories and food product markets, within an organisational mechanism that includes supervisory and monitoring bodies in accordance with the approved health and safety standards in Dubai and distribute them inside and outside the country in cooperation with a network of local and international charity and humanitarian organisations.
