Restaurants in Dubai could soon be recognised with a new kind of award in the form of a Dubai Star.
Dubai Municipality launched the star-rated system this week saying it will assess and award restaurants based on how well they apply methods that promote the use of safe, healthy and high-quality food.
Restaurants in the emirate will be reviewed and honoured annually for their efforts towards implementing sustainable food safety practices.
The initiative was launched on Thursday on the sidelines of the 15th Dubai International Food Safety Conference at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Restaurants will also be evaluated on their social responsibility and their efforts towards helping the UAE boosts its food security goals.
“Dubai Star is the rating that guarantees international recognition,” a spokesman for Dubai Municipality said in a promotional video for Dubai Star.
“[It] confirms a commitment to sustainable food systems that is at the heart of Dubai’s vision for the future."
“Compete with restaurants from around the world for the Dubai Star,” was the message of encouragement.
Noted as the first global rating of its kind, Dubai Star will encourage chefs and restaurateurs to think deep about the impact their food will have not just on the customer, but on global food security as a whole.
Speaking at the conference, Dawoud Al Hajri, director general of Dubai Municipality, said there is a critical need to ensure a balance between safety, production and consumption.
He also mentioned that sustainable food systems are at the heart of Dubai’s future vision for food safety.
More information about how exactly restaurants will be rated will be announced in the coming months.
During the Cop26 summit in the UK last week, Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said sustainable food systems are also a solution provider for the “whole climate mitigation efforts”.
“Innovation and research and development is really key in driving how you can grow foods,” she said.
“The [UAE] leadership recognised from an early stage that in order for us to be more resilient, we really need to invest more money and effort into building more sustainable food systems.
“So in 2018, we launched the National Food Security Strategy, we set up the governance model in the UAE and this is all towards a national transition,” she said.
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
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- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
