Dubai slams ‘smear campaign’ against UAE products

Dubai has hit back against what it has described as a “systematic smear campaign” on social media against Emirati products.

Taking to Twitter, Dubai Media Office claimed that Emirati-produced goods, specifically from the Jebel Ali Free Zone, were targeted through “baseless allegations”.

While some reports said that Saudi activists were the ones campaigning for a boycott of Emirati products since they were not “authentic”, Media Office stressed that the information was not accurate.

“Through the analysis of the data, it is clear that the people who issued this campaign to boycott the Emirati products are actually social media users from outside Saudi Arabia and from countries known for their hostile orientations to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which is the opposite of what those involved in this campaign are trying to communicate to followers,” one of the tweets said.

Dubai Media Office also asserted that all products manufactured in Jebel Ali were subject to quality checks, countering claims about the lack of control on and follow-up of manufactured goods in Jebel Ali, which is home to 7,500 companies.

“Jebel Ali and all the free zones in the UAE are subject to the control and follow-up of the UAE authorities and is committed to the standards of the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology accredited regionally and internationally,” it said.

Up to 529 food manufacturers are based in Jebel Ali, including companies such as Nestle, Mars and Master Baker.

“More than 130 countries around the world use food products manufactured in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, and this is an international testimony of their quality, safety, and conformity to specifications in those countries,” it added.

Media Office also clarified that the use of the code 629 does not necessarily mean that the product was made in the UAE.

“Rather, it indicates the headquarters of the company that issued this code,” it said.

Dubai’s foreign trade reached Dhs1.3 trillion in 2018, and it is on track to set records this year as well, Media Office added.