Restaurants flouting rules to be named, shamed and fined.
Summary: ABU DHABI - Restaurants flouting food safety rules in Abu Dhabi will be named and shamed apart from being penalised, the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority has warned even as it had registered a drop in cases of violations in groceries in the emirate.ABU DHABI - Restaurants flouting food safety rules in Abu Dhabi will be named and shamed apart from being penalised, the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority has warned even as it had registered a drop in cases of violations in groceries in the emirate.
The warning came as the authority ordered the closure of Al Tazaj Fakieh Grilled Chicken (Licence No. 1043939), a restaurant at the Hamdan Centre building on Hamdan bin Mohamed Street, for repeated violation of food safety rules.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Mohammed Jalal Al Reyaysa, Director of Communication and Community Service at the ADFCA, said the decision to close down the restaurant was taken after it continued to flout the rules despite many warnings.
"We are revealing the name of the restaurant so the public takes appropriate decision to protect themselves from unsafe food. We warn all food establishments that do not comply with the rules and regulations that we will not only take stringent action against them, but reveal their names to the public as well," he said.
Meanwhile, he said the violations in groceries were declined because of the intensified inspections, which are being carried out in anticipation of summer during which food risks escalate considerably and in response to a few complaints from the consumers. Only three violations were found during the first quarter of this year, Al Reyaysa said.
The current intensification was necessitated due to the dramatic spurt in violations in the previous year. The number of violations at groceries in the Emirate had risen to 53 in 2010, a significant rise compared to the figures for 2009, when the total number of violations was 44.
According to the ADFCA, it issued 678 warnings so far this year, which paid 2,296 inspection visits at foodstuff outlets. A total of 122kg of foodstuff, which was found unfit for human consumption, was destroyed in the process.
Since groceries maintain regular business with the consumers on a day-to-day basis and particularly since their business also involves home deliveries, they assume special significance as far as public health is concerned. Therefore, the ADFCA pays special attention on groceries and inspections on them are intensified closer to the onset of summer, Al Reyaysa said.
The non-compliance at groceries ranged from improper storage of food products to general lack of hygiene.
"We are actually offering the grocery owners an opportunity to serve the public better and become paragons of excellence by following international best practices. This is better for their businesses as well as for public health.
More inspectors have been pressed into service to make sure no violation goes unnoticed. The inspectors are equipped with the latest tools and gadgets to detect even slight deviances from the mandatory regulations. The safety of the consumers is a red line that should never be crossed," he added. Al Reyaysa called upon the public to bring to the authority's notice any violation of food safety rules they come across.
anwar@khaleejtimes.com
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| Publication: | Khaleej Times (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) |
|---|---|
| Geographic Code: | 7UNIT |
| Date: | Apr 20, 2011 |
| Words: | 554 |
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