crystalsindubai
Posts 833

MrsMopp
Posts 620

tally-ho
Posts 908

This totally explains all the bugs we had whilst we lived there, gross.
Even on holiday in Dubai at Easter we all (16) of us got ill with tummy bugs. I think I will stick to Europe and the US from now on.

Cyclone T
Posts 4494

Hello.Again.Kitty
Posts 2043

Island Girl
Posts 328

Sue62
Posts 7175

MrsMopp
Posts 620

Suze63, I for one am not happy to pay for over priced sub standard food, and risk the health of my entire family And not be concerned about it because there is a drought else where in the world.

Ironically, I was going to make a thread about ameobic dysentery, but didn't get around to it. Have been so furious that one of the kids in the class was diagnosed with this some time ago, but the mother decided to keep it quiet. Consequently 2 other children in the class have since been diagnosed, one of which was on and off school for 6 weeks and went undiagnosed until recently. Was so annoyed the mother didn't bring it to our attention so measures to make sure the kids followed super rigorous hand washing etc could be put in place.
edited by MrsMopp on 05/07/2011
edited by MrsMopp on 05/07/2011

Rumour
Posts 134

Hello.Again.Kitty
Posts 2043

Rumour
Posts 134

Rumour
Posts 134

I've had gastroenteritis twice here and I can tell you its not nice, people can die from it. I thought i was dying. My Dr told me that it's a big problem in Dubai and basically its because the bacteria in **** gets transferred to food when people don't wash their hands, you then swallow it and boom boom your really ill.

Hello.Again.Kitty
Posts 2043

I don't buy into the "we warned them because we wanted them to exceed our expectations" line... standards are standards and should be set high enough to be "excellent", not to allow a wide range of interpretations and variability.

It doesn't surprise me in the slightest, but the scale of it does. I know a pretty decent supermarket that has in the past bought meat products from a different supermarket, repackaged them as their own with the production date as the date of repackaging. Another I know to have added food colouring to make the beef appear fresh-red (they stayed the same raw colour when really well cooked!)...

our souls
Posts 190

I saw a employee in a well known supermarket put his hand down is trousers, have a good scratch and carry on putting the apples in order.

KellsBells
Posts 3452

EEK!!!
This thread and the fact that I caught the "fishmonger" at C4 in Mirdif CC drop two pieces of my fish only to pick them back up and slap them on top of my other bits of fish...his face when he looked up and saw that I was on my way back and had seen what he'd done was priceless. But it's worrying indeed.

minimax17
Posts 2284

I agree it is worrying but common sense and good hygiene at home should help, if you purchase anything that appears "off" just dont eat it!
My DH works in the Restaurant / Hotel kitchen industry and tells me some shocking tales of kitchens and poor hygiene in the UAE. Ladies you would never eat out if you could see behind the scenes of some places, and I am not talking small cafes in Satwa, think Madinat / JBR / Malls etc etc.......
Its not all bad dont worry!
off to cook his dinner now eating at home :-)
edited by minimax17 on 05/07/2011

athomemom
Posts 213

We get all our meat from Prime Gormet on SZR. They deliver and the meat is second to none.

Sue62
Posts 7175

did nobody actually read the article ?? lol

Ninety-seven per cent of fish and meat retailers inspected by Dubai Municipality over the first half of the year were either warned, fine or closed for violating health and hygiene rules.

According to figures released yesterday, of 132 shops targeted by the animal products monitoring section of the municipality's food control department, 114 were served with warnings, 13 were fined for lack of hygiene and one establishment was closed down.

The numbers might be high, said Sultan Al Tahir, the head of the animal product inspection section, but the warnings should not be seen in a negative light.

He said a warning does not mean a retailer is bad. Rather, he said, "it means they are complying with Dubai Municipality but are not in the grade we want."Our aim and our target is to have excellent premises in Dubai. The warning is given to improve."

Employees' personal hygiene was the main problem the inspections found. Mr Al Tahir said the municipality is working on a programme to "improve their skills".

i agree with tally-ho it IS amazing what ppl put up with...i remember in Greece our butcher cut our meat up on a blood stained tree stump lol - not sure what revolted me most - the state of it or the fag hanging out of his mouth throughout !! but the stefado we made that evening was delicious

tally-ho
Posts 908

Ewww, If 97% of food suppliers were unhygienic in the UK, there would be uproar. I am amazed at what people put up with in Dubai.

our souls
Posts 190

• store food at proper temperatures,
• Don’t use unclean equipment
• Employ workers who practice GOOD hygiene.
• Cockroaches, flies, mice and rats are all problems that can be eradicated with good management.
Aren’t these things just basic hygiene. I’m sorry but this is a disgrace. Anyone that can defend poor hygiene is just ridiculous, this can kill people and no, I’m not overreacting.
Already our fruit and vegetables are devoid of any vitamins and minerals, I for one do not want the whole of my dietary intake to be like playing Russian roulette
How many stories have been in the press for the last 5 years about food and drink hygiene issues. This problem is getting worse. Im so cross.

suze63
Posts 1648

"So what is the solution?? "

I think the solution is to use your common sense when buying food, wash fruit and veg well, cook things properly, store things properly. Most important, stop fretting, relax and enjoy our very pampered lives. There is the worst draught for 60 years in the Horn of Africa that will affect the lives of millions, global food prices have risen 40% over the last year leading to rising food prices and children die every day through lack of clean water. Sometimes it seems that getting worked up into a lather about nothing could be an Olympic sport here!!

Wild Mint
Posts 628

Di@DXB
Posts 2772

@oursouls

Agree, and because of all the reasons you have outlined it would be in the public interest if DM were to issue a list naming those establishments that have failed their inspections, particularly since the percentage is so high.

Having the information as to the degree of the problem is of no help to anyone if we do not know which suppliers are in the 3% of places that have passed health and hygeine standards.

Wild Mint
Posts 628

So what is the solution??

A Rancher
Posts 2618

Rotten meat won't necessarily cause food poisoning especially if it's cooked well which would kill all the bugs. People who routinely eat rotten meat get used to it. You just have consider why spices etc were so sought after in the Middle Ages and that was to disguise the taste of the rotten meat! Refrigeration is a relatively new concept and only widely available in the recent past. Likewise, a hair on meat, while certainly disgusting to look at is probably not going to do too much harm.

I'm all for food safety and hygiene but I think people get carried away especially with scary headlines. Most people have good immune systems that protect them. Think of how much we all eat and the number of times you actually fall ill. Naturally, special care should be taken with the very young and infirm.

our souls
Posts 190

Food health and safety should be top of the list of priorities in the UAE. Its outrageous that almost every single food supplier is not up to standard.
Staff living in labour camps without proper access to showers, soap etc is just one of the problems.
Even the common cockroach picks up germs like Salmonella, E-coli, Shigella, and a host of viruses including Norovirus, which then is transferred to your food. Which go right into your mouth…
There are probably more than 50 disease causing organisms that have been isolated from cockroach bodies They also have a potential for mechanical transmission when they crawl or cross something they leave their bacteria behind.
What this means is that they can carry disease from one place to another. For example, if they come up from the sewer and walk across our food, it's possible that whatever pathogen that is on the cockroach can be transferred to the bread and ultimately to the person that eats it.
flies are another problem in Dubai they’re dirty. Besides contaminating food with eggs and maggots, they can also carry bacteria that cause intestinal diseases. Flies can travel from faecal material to our food very easily, carrying bacteria with them on body hairs or the sticky pads on their feet. When feeding, flies expel saliva and faeces that may also contain bacteria.

flys can easily carry over one million bacteria on its body. Some of the disease-causing agents shown to be transmitted by house flies to humans are: shigellosis, salmonella, typhoid fever, dysentery (diarrhea), Escherichia coli, conjunctivitis (pink eye) and parasitic worms.
Bacteria present on foods when you purchase them. Raw foods are the most common source of foodborne illnesses because they are not sterile; examples include raw meat and poultry that may have become contaminated during slaughter. Seafood may become contaminated during harvest or through processing. One in 10,000 eggs may be contaminated with Salmonella inside the egg shell. Produce such as spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, and melons can become contaminated with Salmonella, Shigella, or Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7. Contamination can occur during growing, harvesting, processing, storing, shipping, or final preparation. Sources of produce contamination are varied as these foods are grown in soil and can become contaminated during growth or through processing and distribution. Contamination may also occur during food preparation in a restaurant or a home kitchen. The most common form of contamination from handled foods is the calcivirus, also called the Norwalk-like virus.
When food is cooked and left out for more than 2 hours at room temperature, bacteria can multiply quickly. Most bacteria grow undetected because they don't produce a bad odor or change the color or texture of the food. Freezing food slows or stops bacteria's growth but does not destroy the bacteria. The microbes can become reactivated when the food is thawed. Refrigeration also can slow the growth of some bacteria. Thorough cooking is needed to destroy the bacteria.
Some people are at greater risk for bacterial infections because of their age or an unhealthy immune system. Young children, pregnant women and their fetuses, and older adults are at greatest risk.
Scientists suspect that foodborne pathogens are linked to chronic disorders and can even cause permanent tissue or organ destruction. Research suggests that when some people are infected by foodborne pathogens, the activation of their immune system can trigger an inappropriate autoimmune response, which means the immune system attacks the body's own cells. In some people, an autoimmune response leads to a chronic health condition. Chronic disorders that may be triggered by foodborne pathogens are
• arthritis
• inflammatory bowel disease
• kidney failure
• Guillain-Barré syndrome
• autoimmune disorders

suze63
Posts 1648

Does anyone remember that lady who used to poke her finger in the mince to tell whether it was fresh? My all time funniest thread on EW

Crystil
Posts 1330

I don't like frozen food - fish and vegetables - but the more I read, the more I think it could be a safer way to go.

Cyclone T
Posts 4494

Sue62
Posts 7175