Avoid drinks in oddly shaped containers: Municipality

Dubai : Light bulbs may indicate a bright idea, but buying juices or drinks in cans shaped like light bulbs is not a great idea, the Dubai Municipality has warned.

Do not buy those coloured drinks or juices in cans shaped like light bulbs, cream tubes, or needles - this is the message from the civic body that has issued a warning to the public against consuming food and beverages in weird-looking cans and containers.

In the warning posted on its social media channels, the civic body stated that the sources of such containers are mostly not verified. It is also strictly forbidden to use foods shaped like medical equipment or things that go against the teaching of Islamic religion or societal values, the warning added.

The municipality urged the public not to buy these things unless they are sold by licensed shops, because the materials used in making these cans and containers need to meet certain standards set by the Food Safety Department to make sure they are not harmful. The material also need to be suitable for storing food and beverages that can be reheated inside ovens or microwaves, it pointed out.

"The coloured light bulb cans can only be used if they are made of non-hazardous material and do not harm people (thin glass, for example, might break while consuming food from it), or children might use actual light bulbs to break them and try to eat things inside them thinking they are the same as what is being sold. The same thing goes for cream, medical tubes or even needles that contain juice as children might use the actual material thinking they are what they have used before," the warning stated.

Hence, the municipality does not allow the selling of such things as they might harm the public if they do not follow health standards, it added.

The municipality said food and beverage containers can be made in weird shapes to attract customers as long as it is safe to consume food from them.

The Food Safety Department has stated that it prevents the making of certain sweets because some of them might harm children's health such as hard-textured sweets that may harm the teeth or sweets that encourage bad habits such as sweets shaped as cigarettes or toothpaste as children might consume the actual toothpaste (or use cigarettes) later.