The Middle East’s largest seafood factory is set to bolster food security, cut down on waste and open up fresh opportunities for home-grown produce.
Located in Dubai Industrial City, the recently opened 13,000 square metre plant will handle a quarter of all seafood consumed in the UAE, sourced in large part from local farms.
From sheri to hamour and king fish to shrimp, the factory, run by food distribution company Asmak, aims to process 18,000 tonnes of fresh and frozen fish in its first year.
At full capacity, it can handle up to 60,000 tonnes of fish for wholesale, food service and retail.
The sprawling site was officially opened this week in the presence of Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of State for Food Security.
We utilise about 90 to 95 per cent of the whole fish and we sell off fish oil for medicinal purposes and other parts for fertilisation
Mamoon Othman, chief executive of International Holding Company, said workers break, smoke and fillet fresh fish on site.
“We import cold water fish from north Europe, South Asia and the Mediterranean, but we have a big focus on the local catch too,” he said.
“We decided to open our biggest seafood factory in Dubai because of its centrality.
“The main driver behind it is to ensure food security within the region, with a big focus on availability and utilisation.”
About half of the fish on site is processed and distributed fresh, the majority of which is bought in from fish farms.
A lot of the produce, including salmon, Nile perch and tilapia, is filleted into exact portions to reduce household food waste.
“Minimising food waste is a big part of our mission,” Mr Othman said.
“We utilise about 90 to 95 per cent of the whole fish and we sell off fish oil for medicinal purposes and other parts for fertilisers.
“The fish industry is moving towards sustainability, so more than 90 per cent of the fish we handle comes from farms, overseas, so the waste produced from by-catch is minimal.
“About 10 per cent comes straight from the water, which we mainly buy in from local fishermen.”
The UAE is one of the biggest fish-consuming countries in the world, eating over double the global average at 33 kilograms per capita.
As more people move towards a flexitarian diet and reduce their meat consumption, Mr Othman said opening its largest fishery in Dubai made sense.
He said there is currently a huge focus on “superfoods and healthy foods”, so as people convert from carbs and meat to vegetables and fish, supplying fresh and local is a must.
Sustainable food production in the Emirates has been a major focus in recent years as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on imports.
In the next few years, he said, the factory aims to buy more fish locally.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Founder: Omar Onsi
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Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Red flags
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
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Bantamweight: Jalal Al Daaja (JOR) beat Hamza Bougamza (MAR)
Catchweight 67kg: Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) beat Fouad Mesdari (ALG)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
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Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
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MATCH INFO
Kolkata Knight Riders 245/6 (20 ovs)
Kings XI Punjab 214/8 (20 ovs)
Kolkata won by 31 runs
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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