Sharjah slaps hefty fines on food outlet violations

Sharjah - The outlets and warehouses were also asked to maintain separate places for storing expired food.

An intensified inspection campaign carried out by the Sharjah Municipality on food outlets resulted in 8 food warehouses being fined for failing to store food at the prescribed temperatures.
One supermarket was also fined for keeping food in a powerless cooling system. The outlets and warehouses were also asked to maintain separate places for storing expired food.
"Freezing of food items must be based on health regulations and standards; some of the items must not be defrozen, and others not frozen several times," said Omar Al Muhairi, Director of Food Control Department at Sharjah Municipality, speaking to Khaleej Times.
The campaign targeted 101 food warehouses and outlets. The inspectors also visited 44 supermarkets, groceries and hypermarkets in all residential areas in the city to ensure that the refrigerators were not disconnected at night in order to minimise power bills, a common practice.
Al Muhairi said that two inspection campaigns aimed at ensuring that all food outlets and warehouses follow public health regulations. The municipality will continue its inspections in all restaurants, public kitchens, supermarkets, groceries and cafeterias throughout the year.
Sharjah Municipality has a no-tolerance policy on practices endangering public health, and the possible penalty could mean closure of the concerned business.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

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