UAE: Restaurant fined Dh100,000 for cockroach in spoiled seafood soup

Ras Al Khaimah: The Ras Al Khaimah Misdemeanours Court has fined a restaurant Dh100,000 for violating food safety regulations. Two individuals, the main defendants in the case, were charged with these violations. One was fined Dh100,000, while the other received a Dh5,000 fine along with other associated fees.

The public prosecution charged the two defendants, the restaurant owner and one of the employees, with distributing food items harmful to health and spoiled seafood soup, which contained a cockroach, and with deliberately committing an act that endangered the health of the victim by distributing food harmful to health.

The restaurant was also accused of misleading customers by serving food unfit for consumption.

The incident came to light when the complainant had visited the restaurant with her husband, where she ordered a seafood soup. However, she noticed a cockroach in it, prompting her to record a 12-second video showing the insect. She then reported it to the municipality and the police.

Then the court ruled against the restaurant for selling unfit and spoiled food that posed health risks, following the customer’s discovery of the cockroach in her meal. Investigations revealed the presence of cockroaches in spoiled seafood, along with unhygienic kitchen conditions, including greasy surfaces and unsafe food preparation methods. The court’s decision was supported by various evidence, including witness testimony from a food safety inspector.

The court of first instance found the defendants guilty of the incident, based on the testimony of the complainant, her husband’s testimony, the prosecution’s video analysis submitted by the complainant, and the testimony of the head of the food control department following the inspection of the establishment to verify the complaint.

It was found that there were several violations inside the kitchen, including the presence of a large number of houseflies, openings and cracks in the floors, walls, and drainage areas, the workers’ failure to adhere to personal hygiene standards, and the establishment’s non-compliance with health regulations.

The accused are appealing the ruling, and the Ras Al Khaimah Court of Appeal has reserved the case for a ruling on January 28.

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