Dubai International Food Safety Conference 2009

Presentation Will Focus on Food Safety Regulations for Organic Foods

Joe Smillie, Quality Assurance International (QAI) Senior Vice President, will discuss how an additional level of scrutiny is involved in terms of food safety when it comes to organic foods at GULFOOD 2009 on the 26 February 2009 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The presentation will take place at GULFOOD 2009, Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Dubai. GULFOOD is one of the world's top exhibitions for the food, drink, foodservice and hospitality industry.and is organized by the Dubai Government and supported by the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP).

Food and beverage manufacturers, organic retailers, importers, suppliers and industry organizations are encouraged to attend.

Joe Smillie is the Senior Vice President of Quality Assurance International, a San Diego, California-based certification agency. He manages the company's eastern U.S. and Canada sales, operations, government regulatory affairs, and international business development. He has been involved in the organic movement and industry since 1975 as a farmer, inspector, consultant, author and certification agent. Smillie has become a recognized authority on all aspects of organic production, National Organic Program (NOP) regulations and international trade. He has been instrumental in protecting the integrity of organic products and advancing the growth of the organic industry. In January 2006, he was appointed to the National Organic Standards Board to serve a five-year term as the certification representative.

Quality Assurance International (QAI, Inc.), founded in 1989, is the organic industry leader in certification services with operations in the U.S., Canada, Japan and the European Union. Clients include agricultural producers, food processing facilities, integrated manufacturing operations, contract packing operations, traders, distributors, and retailers. QAI's programs verify organic compliance at every link of the product handling chain, thus assuring consumers that product integrity is preserved in the marketplace. QAI is a pioneer in the organic industry and remains dedicated to fostering sustainable agriculture and promoting a healthy planet.

Contact: Julie Lunn
The Fresh Ideas Group
Tel: 303-449-2108 x 10
Email: Julie@freshideasgroup.com

Traditional Arabic Food

The UAE is an excellent place to sample all types of Gulf and Middle Eastern Cuisine.Buffet spreads usually have huge amounts of food. These will typically contain the following:

Hummous: a dip made from chick peas and sesame seeds
Tabouleh: chopped parsley, mint and crunched wheat
Ghuzi: a whole roast lamb on a bed of rice, mixed with nuts
Wara enab: vine leaves stuffed with rice
Koussa mahshi: stuffed corgettes

Local dishes include:
Matchbous: spiced lamb with rice
Hareis: a rich delicacy of slow cooked wheat and tender lamb
Seafood: served with specialty rice

Naturally dates are an important feature of the varied Arabian meals

Desserts from the region include:
Umm Ali: a type of bread pudding
Esh asaraya: a sweet type of cheesecake with cream on top
Mehalabiya: pudding sprinkled with rose water and pistachios

Seafood is very popular from this region as the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman serve some locale specialities - lobster, cigale, crab, hammour, shrimp, tuna, kingfish, pomfret, and red snapper. Many hotels will have seafood buffets where you can indulge yourself in these various dishes.

A traditional and very popular snack is the shawarma - grilled slices of delicately spiced lamb or chicken, mixed with salad, and rolled inside a pocket of Arabic bread. It is sold all over the the UAE, and is considered the fast food of the Middle East! Some also contain chilli sauce, tomatoes, mayonnaise and french fries.

Another popular Lebanese type food is manakish which is baked bread meal with toppings. Traditionally, it is served for breakfast or lunch depending on its topping, but the bakeries that serve these pastries are usually open late at night. You could liken it to a pizza and usually is it served folded. Some toppings to try for the novice are cheese, zaatar (thyme) with cheese, labneh (yoghurt type cream) or minced beef. If unsure, when ordering try, Manakish Bjibne (with cheese and olives) or Lahem Bel Ajin (open pie topped with ground beef and lamb, pine nuts, onions and herb)

Other dishes you could try are:
Falafel - fried chick peas
Moutabal: Broiled eggplant, blended with tahini and lemon and olive oil
Fried kibbeh - ground meat (usually lamb or mutton) with bulghur wheat and seasonings
Fatteh (with labaan) - baked chicked peas/pita dish (served with a type of Middle Eastern yoghurt)
Shish Tawook - marinated skewered chicken
Khoshkash kebab - skewered meat in a spicy tomato sauce
Arayes kofta - bread with grilled lamb
Fattoush - salad with a tangy lemon dressing topped with crisped pastry
Baba Ghanoush - eggplant mixed with sesame and garlic
Kellaj - Lebanese bread filled with halloumi cheese, charcoal grilled

For deserts, you could try Knafeh, which is a semolina type desert with cheese and syrup. You will see many of the shops offering baklava, which is sweet filo pastry stuffed with nuts and covered in syrup.

Also, as far as drinks go, the availability of fresh juices is amazing and at very reasonable prices. People like to try the fruit cocktail which is a luxurious heavy concoction, that is sprinkled with pistachios. Other fruit juices are available, but if you don't want sugar added, just say so. Sahlab is a milky type drink which is popular during Ramadan. It is quite sweet and topped with cinnamon.