Abu Dhabi: Food safety inspectors seized and destroyed 30 kilograms of food not suitable for human consumption in Musaffah industrial area in Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (Adfca) recently carried out surprise inspections of shops selling fish and meat products inside the shopping complexes and supermarkets located in the area, a press release issued by the authority said.
The inspection mainly targeted shops doing business with a trade licence that does not include sale of meat and fish products as a permitted commercial activity.
The inspectors visited 32 establishments. Three shops were given warnings while one was fined for violating the rules during the drive, launched by the Meat Establishment Control Section at the Animal Control Division of the authority.
“These drives are key to check violations and wrong practices as well as to observe the commitment levels of businesses towards fulfilling Adfca’s food safety standards and requirements,” said Mohammad Jalal Al Raisi, Director of Communication and Community Service Division of the authority.
He said that when businesses practise food-related trade activities without obtaining a proper licence it keeps them out of the authority’s routine inspection programme.
As the routine inspection programme aims at raising awareness on health practices and educating staff how to handle food in a safe and healthy way, escaping inspections ultimately causes serious risks to public health and safety, he said.
In its efforts to escalate the overall food safety situation in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, the authority conducts two kinds of inspections for food facilities. The first is routine visits to raise awareness and to give instructions for the improvement of food handling practices. The second one is surprise inspections, carried out to curb violations and monitor the businesses’ commitment towards complying with safety standards.
