Makkah municipality steps up raids on eateries

Nada Al-Maddah
Saudi Gazette

MAKKAH — The Sharayeh municipality has intensified its inspection campaigns aimed at stamping out hygiene violations at groceries, restaurants and supermarkets during Ramadan.

Khalid Sindi, the municipality’s director, said several field teams were formed to carry out the inspections. The teams raided a house used to prepare food for two nearby restaurants in an unhealthy way.

The house was also used as accommodation for the restaurant’s illegal workers who prepared pastries, sweets and salads.

None of the workers had health and fitness certificates issued by the municipality.

Rusted kitchen utensils used to prepare food were confiscated. The place was shabby and full of dust and the fridges were not clean.

Over 865 kilograms of inedible pastries, sweets, fruit and vegetables were seized. The inspectors sealed the restaurants and destroyed food offered for sale. Strict penalties will be imposed on the erring restaurant owners, Sindi said.

The municipality is mounting a concerted campaign during the peak of Ramadan to ensure that food offered for sale is safe and is stored properly, he said.

Sindi called upon the general public to report health violations without hesitation.

The Makkah mayoralty is also intensifying its efforts and campaigns to ensure that groceries and restaurants comply with health conditions and requirements.

Dr. Muhammad Al-Fawtawee, director of environmental health in the mayoralty, said two inspection teams work in the morning and evening while six field teams supported by a unit of laboratory technicians work together to take samples of food and ensure that they are healthy.
 

The mayoralty is keen to ensure that preparation and storage foodstuffs are done properly and do not pose any health threats to consumers.

Osama Al-Bar, the Mayor of Makkah, launched two projects for hygiene monitoring services, which are implemented by a local environmental consultancy group.