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Survey of food outlets being conducted

After completing a survey on the traditional kitchens, which offer traditional food, and preparing comprehensive maps of their locations, the municipality has embarked on another study to monitor the conditions of the old cafeterias and restaurants and to improve and enhance their health standard particularly with regard to the preparation and serving of foodstuff, Mr Al Bannai said.

The hygiene and health standard of these establishments is a major concern for the municipality. "The civic body wants to ensure that all citizens and residents enjoy safe and fit food products free of any pollutants that endanger their lives. Monitoring the process of preparing and serving food will help us avoid any negative aspects," he said, stressing the need for strictly observing the health rules in food preparation.

He disclosed that the municipality will adopt a number of measures based on the survey results to uplift the standard of the restaurants and cafeterias, particularly the old ones, pointing to the municipality's plan to organise training courses and awareness workshops for the people working in the preparation, storage and handling of food products.

A special committee comprising health inspectors has been formed to conduct the survey and complete it as soon as possible.

"We have instructed them to take into consideration while carrying out the job the safety and quality of the food products as well as the interest of investors," Mr Al Bannai said.

The inspectors, he added, will specifically visit the dangerous food preparation locations such as the bakeries, sweet factories, restaurants and cafeterias.

Their work will also cover inspection of food transport vehicles, water distribution vehicles, normal and air-conditioned containers of raw cooking material, the stores and warehouses in addition to compelling all those working in food handling to wear a uniform and to use gloves while preparing food.

In this context, he said that the municipality has granted the factories and food manufacturers in Sharjah a grace period until the year-end to implement the hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) and entrusted the health section with the task of following up its implementation after the grace period.

"We organised several training courses and workshops on the methods of implementing the system in all the food manufacturing establishments in Sharjah," he said, explaining that the HACCP system will enable the products manufactured in Sharjah to stand the competition in the international markets.

Elaborating on the advantages of the system, Mr Al Bannai said that it helps determine the three hazards in food manufacturing, namely the biological, physical and chemical, and enables producers to prevent mistakes before they take place.

"It is a preventive and control system at the same time as it controls the food in the different preparation stages before it reaches consumers," Mr Al Bannai said.

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