In February 2013, Grove Services of Atlanta, Georgia, US, exported a shipment of 12 containers of Tyson Brand leg quarters to Dubai, UAE.

The shipment, valued at US$350,000, was rejected by Dubai health authority for the following reasons:

• They assumed the large size of the leg quarter indicated the weight of the bird exceeded 1.8 kg, the maximum allowed weight for whole chicken, as specified by the GCC standard for imported frozenchicken.
• According to the health inspector’s report, accumulation of frozen water at the bottom of the cartons indicated the shipment had defrosted en route to Dubai and re-frozen.

At the request of Grove Services, OAA Dubai worked closely with Dubai Health Authority officials to seek a solution.

Specifically, OAA Dubai staff explained the poultry production and distribution processes in the US, as well as the reason for the water accumulation in the bottom of the boxes.

OAA Dubai also asked the local authority to waive the maximum weight requirement for the birds since it does not pose health threat to the consumers.

Consequently, Dubai Municipality agreed to send samples of the stranded shipment to its food laboratory for testing to confirm that the products are fit for human consumption.

When the lab test confirmed favorable results, the shipment was released.