Abu Dhabi, January 04: In its third season, Al Dhafra Festival will witness Dates Packaging Competition for the second year in a row. The competition is aimed at encouraging date producers to develop the packaging methods of this important product, as well as safeguarding it as one of the most important symbols of UAE’s national heritage. Promoting dates as a significant part of a healthy diet, and paying attention to their preservation, packaging and marketing, are the aims of the competition. It will also emphasise the need to make the packaging more modern, vigorous and transportable.
Al Dhafra Festival is an annual heritage festival organized by Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) in Madenat Zayed in Al Gharbia (the Western Region of Abu Dhabi). This year the festival will kick off in January 30th and will last till February 8 with multi activities that reflects the national heritage of UAE including beauty camel contest and camel auctions.
The date packaging competition targets UAE dates’ production companies and individuals. Each participant is allowed to participate with three to five packages of 2kg maximum weight for each. Packages which are exceed this weight and are un-uniformed will not be accepted. The deadline for participation is 6 February 2010.
“The aim of organizing such a new competition is to increase awareness of the importance of the quality of the packaging in marketing dates, and to improve aspects of promotion in the minds of local producers of dates. This will initiate competition between farmers and producers, encouraging them to deliver better products, enhancing the marketing skills of producers, and bringing about a nation-wide improvement in the quality of dates. This will enable them to sell locally and internationally, and will encourage producers to be more creative and responsible,” said Mubarak Al Qusaili, the competition director.
Criteria of the product specifications: dates domestically produced during the 2009 season, of one type and in an appropriate stage of ripeness; dates free from insect infestation, or dates free from dead insects, their eggs, worms or leftovers; dates free from any cosmetic defects; no smell or unusual taste; no metal or sand impurities (scratch, sunburn and black spots); there must be no non-fertilized or unripe (Al Sheis) or lightweight dates, or dates with different colours, or of a wooden or rubber complexion; and the sterilizer’s type must be mentioned if dates are sterilized.
The standards for packing and packaging materials: packed in a healthy way to maintain the product’s safety, and properly sealed; attractive packaging; does not contain more than one type of date; the weight must not exceed 2 kg; the ability to withstand transport and handling; made of materials that do no harm to human health and the environment; materials used in adhesives, or in the packaging of dates, must not have negative effects on human health or the environment; the product’s information must be written on the packaging; if a carton pack is used, dates must be isolated with a polyethylene layer (Nylon, lamination); if a plastic or Nylon pack is used to wrap the dates, the packaging must be made of the healthy material (PET), but not of the banned (PVC), especially in its liquid substance; it is important to identify the package’s net weight carefully so that the margin of error does not exceed 5%, as the package must be able to withstand transportation and handling from mechanical damage and pollution.
Standards for the information card include: information written in Arabic, or in both Arabic and English; the name of the type of dates; the name and address of the company responsible for packing and packaging; net weight of the package; the date of production and expiry in month and year; the nutritional value of dates on the packaging; the country of origin.
—Agencies