In the UAE
The Versatility of Dates...
A Visit to the Al Foah Company
A
s expatriates, many of us
have already experienced the
delicious sweetness of dates.
Some of us also know the
nutritional value that this fruit has, as
well as its importance in the lives of
Arabs.
The date palm tree is one of the
national symbols of the UAE. Its fruit,
the date, is often served with Arabic
coffee as a sign of hospitality in private
homes and public organisations.
Date lovers also know that HH Sheikh
Zayed to HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan
Al Nayhan, a man of incredible vision
and insight, was very meticulous in
promoting the date palm and dates as
a part of the UAE culture. It has been
said that he mandated that anyone can
eat dates from the many trees that line
the roadways. Persons are however,
discouraged from cutting bunches
of dates from these trees as they are
there for all to enjoy.
At Teach UAE Magazine, we were
very keen to learn more about dates;
proper etiquette for eating them, date
products and how they are preserved.
We were fortunate to receive the
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opportunity to get a guided tour of
the Al Foah Company (AFC).
Al Foah Company boasts one of the
biggest dates factory in the world, with
world-class facilities for the processing,
packaging and distribution of dates. It
also manufactures products which use
dates as the main ingredient. . The Al
Foah Company has helped to make
the UAE one of the largest exporter
of dates in the world, with an annual
production of, approximately 120, 000
tonnes of dates, exporting to fortyeight countries.
Emirates Dates Factory started in 1998
in accordance with Sheikh Zayed’s
vision to produce the highest quality
dates in the world by empowering local
farmers. The Al Foah Company was
established in 2005. Sheikh Zayed’s
vision, to date, has been achieved by
The Al Foah Company, which supports
over 18,000 local date farmers in the
UAE, by providing a competitive
market price for their produce as
well as agricultural extension services
aimed at improving the quality of the
produce. The company also manages
its own, organic date farm, Al Foah
Farm, which boasts international
After The Bell
certification and recognition.
A tour of the Al Foah Company’s
facility will guarantee an enriching
experience, as a field trip, with both
educator and students benefitting
from valuable knowledge, on this
home grown staple.
Teach UAE Magazine would like to give
you a glimpse of what the tour is like.
However, In order to fully appreciate
the wealth of knowledge that Al Foah
Company yields on its products and
operations, we highly recommend
that as an educator, you contact them
to request a field trip for your class or
school.
Before a tour starts, each person
is required to complete a health
questionnaire which also includes
guidelines on expectations during
visits to the factory. In order to
prevent cross contamination of the
products, all visitors are provided
with and required to wear appropriate
protective clothing such as, hairnets
and plastic coats. They are also
required to sanitise their hands and
walk through boot washers.