UPDATE-UAE bans Brazilian food imports, after Saudi Arabia and Egypt announced halts

Photo: Members of the Public Health Surveillance Agency collect sausages to analyse in their laboratory, at a supermarket in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 20, 2017. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

*Updates para 3 to clarify suspension of release of products from six companies, and inserts paras 4,5 and 6 with details from state news agency WAM

The United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Climate Change and Environment has said it has taken "precautionary measures" on imported food products from Brazil and calls upon the public "not to buy or consume Brazilian products" bearing certain identification numbers that it made public.

#MoCCAE has taken a number of precautionary measures on imported #food products from Brazil. pic.twitter.com/FnlVTgmNO1

— MoCCAE (@MoCCaEUAE) March 23, 2017

#MoCCAE calls upon the public not to buy or consume Brazilian products bearing the identification numbers shown in the infographic.

— MoCCAE (@MoCCaEUAE) March 23, 2017

The announcement comes amid ongoing investigations in Brazil after its Federal Police launched raids last Friday on food processing companies following allegations of corruption by health inspectors and the alleged sale of rotten products. 

The ministry named six Brazilian companies whose products it has halted release into the UAE markets - JJZ Alimentos, Breyer & Cia Ltda, Frigorifico Larissa Ltda, Frango DM Industria E Comercio De Alimentos, Seara Alimentos (a subsidiary of JBS SA), and BRF SA.

Affected products from the six include frozen beef and poultry, some frozen vegetables, honey and frozen fish, according to a report on state news agency WAM.

Importers are instructed to immediately withdraw these products and destroy them if necessary or return them to the country of origin under the supervision of the food safety authorities in each emirate.

The ministry confirmed that food shipments from the listed Brazilian companies are not allowed to be released.

In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia was the first to announce a halt on Brazilian beef and poultry imports citing concerns about food safety. Saudi Arabian authorities said it had stopped imports from four Brazilian companies, naming the same ones as the UAE later announced - JJZ Alimentos SA, Frango Dm Industria e Comercio de Alimentos Ltda, Seara Alimentos (a subsidiary of JBS SA), and BRF SA.

Egypt followed soon after, without naming any companies. 

MIDEAST IMPORTS FROM BRAZIL

The Middle East is a big export market for Brazilian food products, especially beef and poultry, which are subject to halal requirements for entry into countries of the region. 

In 2015 Brazil exported an estimated $1.4 billion of beef to the region, equivalent to 24 percent of its beef shipments that year. 

By export volume, Egypt was the second largest buyer of Brazilian beef in 2016, trailing Hong Kong. The Egyptian market consumed 176,900 tons in 2016. By revenue, Egypt is in fourth position with $551.3 million, behind Hong Kong, the EU and China.

Saudi Arabia was the ninth largest destination in volume and tenth in revenues. With the lifting of the embargo on Brazilian beef in November 2015, the kingdom replaced Algeria in the top ten ranking of destinations. Saudi Arabia imported 29,300 tons, totaling $112.5 million.

Saudi Arabia is the Middle East's largest importer of Brazilian poultry. In 2015, it bought up almost 50 percent of Brazil's chicken meat exports to the region, a volume of 789,302 tons.

The UAE was the second largest Middle East importer of Brazil's chicken meat in 2015, buying 303,737 tons.  

ACTION BY OTHER COUNTRIES

In other Islamic countries, Malaysia's state news agency Bernama yesterday quoted Minister-Counsellor at the Brazilian embassy in Malaysia Daniel Falcon Lins as saying that none of the Brazilian meat in Malaysia comes from the 21 processing plants named so far by police as under investigation. 

As of this writing, a handful of other countries and regions have announced partial or all-out bans on Brazilian meat imports: Hong Kong, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, China, the European Union, and Chile. 

South Korea lifted its temporary ban on chicken from BRF SA after Brazil said shipments to the country were not tainted. 

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