324 Cafés And Restaurants Shut Down After Surprise Inspection

In November, Abdullah Al-Kandari, Director of the Hawally Governorate Inspection Department at the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition (PAFN), revealed 324 violations were recorded in Hawally, along with 300 arrests for violations and closures of 24 food establishments, reports Al-Anba daily. Recently, a number of the authority's inspectors were accompanied by the daily's staff on an inspection tour in Hawally.

This inspection resulted in the closure of two restaurants, a café, and a fish shop for committing various violations including non-compliance with public sanitation regulations; a large number of live insects were found in the establishments. To address the violations, a decision on the temporary opening of the erring establishments will be issued soon, and then the inspectors will check the establishments again and submit a report on the matter. The inspectors issued arrest reports against the employees and the owner of one of the closed establishments after seven workers were caught handling food without valid health certificates. Based on the gravity of the violation, the authority takes action against those found to have violated the regulations.

When someone opens a food establishment without obtaining a health license, an arrest report is written and sent to the Public Prosecution. The establishment is allowed to open only for evacuation purposes. The owner must obtain a license to resume the business, he added. On non-compliance with public sanitation regulations, Al-Kandari said the erring establishment is shut down and it is allowed to open temporarily to clean the premises, not to engage in business. Then, the authority’s inspectors will check the establishment again, ensure that the violation is addressed, submit a report in this regard, and issue an administrative decision to open and continue the business, he revealed. In cases of grave violations, such as handling food that is not fit for human consumption, reconciliation is not permissible and the case must be forwarded to the prosecution, he said.

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