ABU DHABI // Most workers living in the Workers’ Village labour camp in Mussafah say they are happy with the quality of food there.
They said food was tasty and prepared hygienically.
“Food is good and living here is also satisfactory,” said Habibur Rehman, a driver from Kerala, who was in the dining hall when The National was given a tour on Thursday, after hearing of complaints.
“We get food of our choice and fruit is also served along with each meal. Today I got oranges and sometimes, I get apples,” said Mr Rehman, who earns Dh4,000 a month.
The accommodation is clean and good, he added.
Al Barakah Investment Holdings, which runs four labour camps housing 90,000 workers, says 95 per cent of workers are satisfied with the food served in the camps’ dining halls.
Most of the workers who spoke to The National said they were also happy with the quality of food.
“I like this food,” said Pakistani resident Saleem Shazad, who was eating rice kadhi, a spicy dish with thick gravy based on chickpea flour.
“Every meal contains seasonal fruit or a sweet dish at lunch and dinner time.”
Mr Shazad works as an access controller and earns Dh2,770 a month. He pays Dh350 for food at the camp’s dining hall.
He said the air conditioning worked and his accommodation was clean.
The camp consists of three categories – supervisors, technicians and workers – and their living and dining areas are separated by gates with digital card access.
They can choose meals costing from Dh260 to Dh710 a month.
The menu lists mixed vegetable and chicken curries, moong lentil, steamed rice, pickle, chapatti and mixed kheer and fruit for Indian labourers.
The cuisine is changed each day for all categories and served for different nationalities including Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos and Arabs.
South Indians also have a different menu. Supervisors can order lentil soup, salads, macaroni beshamel, chicken masala, green moong lentil, vegetables, rice and mixed grills, fruit, sweet dishes and hot and cold drinks.
Technicians from the Far East are served fish soup, vegetable and beef dishes including rice, salad and fruit.
The four camps are Workers’ Village, which accommodates 25,000 labourers, Al Raha in Al Mafraq with 30,000 people, Saadiyat Village with 20,000, and Dubai Industrial City with 15,000.
“We serve them healthy and nutritious cuisine as per Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority’s prescribed standards,” said Moataz Mashal, managing director of Al Barakah. “We regularly change cuisines for all categories.”
Mr Mashal said some workers preferred to keep some of their money for food to buy it from outside the camp.
Workers can not bring food from outside into the camp, under the Higher Corporation for Specialised Economic Zones’ hygiene and safety standards, he said.
“The cuisines served here are good quality and suit our taste, too,” said Sanjay Oraiti, an Indian car washer who earns Dh1,200 a month.
“The food is prepared well and served hygienically. That’s what we need here.”
Khursheed Ali, who was surfing the internet in his room, said the food was “quite good”. He was also satisfied with leisure, sport and internet facilities.
“I never had any issues with the quality of food,” said Mr Ali, an Indian chef who earns Dh1,400 a month.
Mokhtar El Shemy, catering manager, said the menu was prepared with different nationalities and their different tastes in mind.
anwar@thenational.ae
