Dubai Food Code Explained: What Every Restaurant Must Know
If you’re planning to open a restaurant in Dubai – or already operating one – the Dubai Food Code is your operational bible. Issued by Dubai Municipality, this comprehensive guideline sets the minimum health, safety, and hygiene standards required for all food establishments in the Emirate. Here’s your digestible breakdown.
What is the Dubai Food Code?
The Dubai Food Code is an official guidance document from Dubai Municipality’s Food Control Department. It consolidates local laws, international food safety standards, and best practices into one reference document for food businesses.
Its main goal:
To ensure food safety and prevent foodborne illnesses across all types of food establishments—from restaurants to catering units, bakeries, food trucks, and central kitchens.
📌 Who Needs to Comply?
Any business in Dubai involved in:
Preparing
Handling
Serving
Delivering
Storing
any kind of food
This includes:
Restaurants
Cafés
Food courts
Catering companies
Food trucks
Cloud kitchens
Central production units
Key Areas the Dubai Food Code Covers
1. Facility Design & Layout
Must allow smooth workflow: raw to cooked, dirty to clean.
Surfaces must be non-absorbent, easy to clean.
Proper ventilation, lighting, and pest control required.
Separate areas for raw and cooked food, waste, chemicals, etc.
2. Food Handling & Storage
Time and temperature control is critical.
Raw and ready-to-eat foods must be stored separately.
All food must be labelled with production/prep/expiry dates.
3. Cleaning & Sanitation
Defined cleaning schedules and chemical usage.
Use of approved sanitizers and cleaning agents only.
Dishwashing must follow a 2/3-sink system or approved dishwasher.
4. Personal Hygiene
Staff must wear clean uniforms, hairnets, gloves.
Handwashing stations mandatory in food prep areas.
No jewellery, watches, or open wounds allowed during handling.
5. Pest Control
Routine pest management contracts required.
Openings must be sealed, and fly traps or air curtains installed.
6. Food Transportation
Vehicles must be refrigerated if transporting cold/frozen goods.
Logbooks for temperature monitoring must be kept.
Vehicles must be cleaned and used only for food.
7. Training & Documentation
Every food business must have:
A Person-in-Charge (PIC) trained and certified
Basic food safety training for all handlers
Daily temperature logs, cleaning checklists, pest logs, etc.
Key Takeaways
The Code is mandatory—non-compliance can lead to warnings, fines, or closure.
You need a certified PIC present at all times.
Staff must be trained, documentation must be in place, and hygiene protocols followed.
Food transportation must be done with care—using proper refrigerated vans and clean, sealed containers.
Why This Matters to You
Whether you’re a new operator or expanding your business, aligning with the Dubai Food Code isn’t just about avoiding fines. It’s about:
At Zeora Hospitality, we’ve helped launch and scale over a dozen successful restaurants across Dubai. We know the system inside-out and can guide you from concept to compliance — without guesswork.
