Dubai: Mansour Hashim discovered a sandwich filling that filled him with disgust, not delight. He told Gulf News he was shocked to come face to face with the household pest in his shop-bought sandwich.
Hashim, who moved to Dubai five months ago, said he was disgusted to find the live cockroach in his pre-packed sandwich that he bought from his local grocery store.
“The sandwich was manufactured here [in the emirate] and was from a reputable brand. I have never encountered such bad hygiene practices in the city until now,” he said.
The dark brown cockroach was trapped inside the cellophane wrapper — and although he did not see it when he took it off the shelf — the pest crawled its way to the top right before he opened it for breakfast.
“I had no idea what to do as I am new to the country so my first reaction was to inform the manufacturer and not the municipality. Even though I received an apology letter saying the pest control company would be changed it is not enough. More changes should be done to prevent such an incident from happening again,” he said.
A senior food safety expert at Dubai Municipality has confirmed that inspectors are following up the case and will visit the manufacturer’s factory to ensure it does not have a cockroach infestation.
“Having such complaints is a serious matter that will be thoroughly investigated because cockroaches are a clear indicator of bad hygiene practices,” said Bobby Krishna, Senior Food Studies and Surveys Officer, Food Control Department at Dubai Municipality.
‘Rare incident’
“If inspectors do not find any violations we will give the company the benefit of the doubt that it was a rare incident. But if we see signs of a cockroach infestation strict action will be taken as the health and well-being of residents and visitors is our priority,” he said.
He stressed that pesticide should not be used as the only means against pests, as cleanliness, housekeeping storage and waste management are also key in preventing infestations — whether in homes or in company premises.
Residents should avoid leaving food uncovered and having dark spaces in the kitchen, as pests need such environments to live in. Krishna emphasised that residents should refrain from using pesticide as it can bring about further health problems, including pesticide poisoning, “But if you have to spray it then it should only be used in the false ceiling”.
Residents can call the municipality hotline on 800 900 to report complaints.
