Dubai Municipality confirmed that the Dubai Central Laboratory conducts a monthly analysis of 60 types of health supplements promoted by fitness trainers, which include vitamins, stimulants, and hormones, pointing out that its circulation in the emirate is subject to strict control.
The Director of Health and Safety Department in the municipality, Dr. Naseem Rafie, told «Emirates Today» that «the number of health supplements registered in the municipality’s“ productors ”system until October 2019 reached about 11,800 products.
And confirmed the verification of the compatibility of more than 2,300 health supplements circulating in the local markets to the approved specifications, this year.
She added that the municipality is implementing a tight program to control the products that are traded in the local markets.
She also stressed coordination with the concerned authorities in the country to withdraw unsafe products, according to the circulars and notices issued in this regard, in addition to global notices related to products that may be circulating in the local market.
She explained that health supplements are preparations that are taken orally and contain essential nutrition components, in order to support human health by providing some important nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, salts and some types of herbs, enzymes and fatty and amino acids used in supplements intended for athletes.
She pointed out that the municipality is making consumers aware of the safe use of health supplements through social media, and it is also publishing information on prohibited products.
She said that one of the most important reasons for lack of health supplements is that they contain prohibited substances not announced on the product identification card, which can only be discovered through laboratory tests, and those substances are stimulants with serious side effects, which may lead to death due to insufficiency in the work of the heart, In addition to negatively affecting the liver and kidney functions, and causing some other diseases.
Integrated control system
Dr. Naseem Rafie, Director of Health and Safety Department in Dubai Municipality, confirmed that all consumer products, including health supplements imported through Dubai outlets, circulated in the markets, are subject to an integrated control system, starting from the stage of evaluation and technical study of the safety of each product to be imported and traded during the registration process, where Allowing the import and circulation of consumer products only after they are registered in the “Producer” system after they fulfill the health and safety requirements.