Hussain Nasser Lootah, its director general, said Sicaptrace technology will allow the emirate’s food safety department to monitor a wide range of products through smart labelling.
Halal items will be given priority after the programme begins by monitoring bottled water. Other food product categories will follow in phases.
The national Halal Mark, which will be in use within the next few months, will be the only smart label in use for Islamic observant products.
Amina Ahmed Mohammed, director of the Dubai Accreditation Centre, told Salaam Gateway that the biggest challenges to ensure halal certifier compliance included traceability.
“For traceability it is not easy to establish a fully controlled system at the outset, but it needs true traceability measures and means to allow smooth market control by both government authorities and consumers, as consumers represent the largest control body we can rely on to measure any system’s effectiveness,” she said.
Traceability in meat begins with a healthy, well-cared for animal and finishes with hygienic meat products, Mohammed said.
Each check point in the process would need to fall under the tracing system to be properly monitored.
While the new tracing system is implemented, officials have been working to harmonise conformity assessment practices that will enable certification processes for all halal products, especially for imports.
In May, the International Halal Accreditation Forum was established by Dubai Municipality, the Dubai Accreditation Centre, and the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology. Other founders include accreditation bodies from the GCC, Britain, Egypt, Australia, New Zealand and America.
The forum aims to devise local and international documentation and lay down agreed specifications to bind all participating countries.