McDonald's UAE Reaffirms Commitment to Food Safety & Halal Standards

McDonald's UAE Participates in 'Eight Dubai International Food Safety Conference' for the fifth time

Dubai 11^th December 2013: For the fifth consecutive year, McDonald's UAE reaffirmed its strong quality and halal standards at the 'Eight Dubai International Food Safety Conference' recently held at the Dubai Convention and Exhibition Centre. McDonald's UAE's ongoing participation in the conference, organized by the Food Control Department of the Dubai Municipality, highlights the company's commitment to further develop Halal standards and food safety across the region.

Mr. Habib Mnasria, Quality Systems Director at McDonald's Middle East Africa, was chosen as one of the key note speakers of the conference and offered his expertise on the key challenges facing multinationals in Halal Markets using McDonald's UAE as a case study. Challenges include high food costs, strict animal welfare requirements and a lack of clarity and uniformity in Halal standards, resulting in a sometimes confusing or unclear system.

Mr. Rafic Fakih, Managing Director & Partner of McDonald's UAE comments: "Our participation in the Dubai International Food Safety is a great way of discussing the development of Halal practices in the country alongside other leaders of the industry. We firmly believe in the importance of serving Halal inspected and locally approved products across all our stores in the UAE and hope to higher the standards year on year to serve the best products to our customers."

Mr. Khaled Sharief, head of Food Monitoring Department, comments on McDonald's support: "McDonald's UAE plays a pivotal role in the Dubai International Food Safety Conference by contributing their expertise to the discussion. Due to their longstanding presence in the country, they understand the importance of continuously developing our food quality and Halal standards. With the help of industry leaders such as McDonald's, we hope to further develop and efficiently facilitate Halal practices in the UAE."

Mr. Mnasria ended his lecture by highlighting the importance of setting strong Halal standards supported by regulatory verification compliance.

All McDonald's UAE's food produce are sourced from approved suppliers that have met global official benchmarks, as well as McDonald's internal food safety standards, product specification and farm biosecurity policies. Most importantly, they must adhere to Halal practices and social responsibility policies.

For additional information, please visit: www.mcdonaldsarabia.com/uae/en/the_truth/food_and_quality.html

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For more information, please contact Toufiq Othman, tothman@webershandwick.com or Dinesh Sandran DSandran@webershandwick.com