From 2020 hotels and restaurants in Dubai will have to offer customers filtered tap water as an alternative to bottled water. This decision is according to new guidelines in the Dubai Food Code unveiled on Monday.
This measure launched at the Dubai International Food Safety Conference aims to reduce the use of single-use plastics and align with the latest in international best practice for future years.
“From next year, whenever you visit a hotel or restaurant, you can select whether to have bottled water or filtered tap water,” said Amal Albedwawi, head of the drinking water control unit at Dubai Municipality.
This is for the first-time tap-water regulations have been introduced to the code. It is up to the discretion of restaurants if they charge customers for the filtered water or not. “In most places around the world tap water is not chargeable, so if it’s not a global trend I don’t think it will be sold here either but we have not set any specific rules around this as yet” Ms Albedwawi said.
Food outlets in city are advised to fit filters or make provisions for filtered water.
“Water that comes from the tap is filtered anyway, tap water comes as drinking water. “But when it’s stored in tanks the risk is increasing, so we need to ensure restaurants are washing tanks used for tap water and this is the problem we are trying to control.” she added.
Dubai food code was first launched in 2013 to ensure the safe production a
