Snow blankets northern Saudi region of Al-Jouf    Syrian Air to resume operation between Damascus and Jeddah on Nov. 7 after a hiatus of 8 years    21,370 illegal residents arrested in a week    Bronze Age town discovered in Khaybar Oasis    New mechanism for reviewing taxi fares via applications    Harris and Trump in dead heat as Election Day nears    Spain flooding one of many global extreme weather disasters: UN weather agency    EU braces for potential shifts in transatlantic relations ahead of US presidential election    Israeli army nearing end of ground offensive in southern Lebanon, reports indicate    Al Hilal sets record for longest unbeaten streak across all domestic competitions    Al Nassr and Al Hilal share points in intense Riyadh Derby draw    Riyadh's Sports Boulevard receives Platinum ActiveScore certifications    ImpaQ: Riyadh to host first Impact Makers Forum in December    Saudi Arabia ranks 12th globally in international visitor spending in 2023    Hidden sugars in Asia's baby food spark concerns    Saleh Al Shehri strike seals Al Ittihad's Sea Derby win over Al Ahli    HONOR unveils pre-order of the stunning HONOR MagicBook Art 14 Featuring an ultra-slim design, HONOR Eye Comfort Display and AI Cross-OS WorkStation    Derby Week makes its debut in the Roshn Saudi League    Teri Garr, Young Frankenstein and Tootsie star, dies at 79    Indonesia Days event celebrates cultural diversity at Al Suwaidi Park    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



It's not just food
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 13 - 07 - 2012

ESRAA AL-GHAMDIFood inspectors are mainly concerned with the cleanliness rather than the quality of food. They concentrate on the cleanliness of a restaurant and its environment, and grade the restaurant's food according to preset criteria. However, I believe that food inspection should not only focus on cleanliness, but should also make sure that the food being produced for the consumer is healthy and fresh. There should be an in-house regulator to make sure consumers are being served fresh food.
In Saudi Arabia, most franchised restaurants start out on the right track, but eventually begin to lower their standards in terms of the quality of their food.
On the other hand, local restaurants serve fresher food than food served in well-known restaurants. In some franchised restaurants, the food is disappointing even soon after the restaurant opens for the day. Salads at times are made a couple of hours prior to the time a customer asks for them. This happened to a friend of mine who went out for dinner at a café in a prominent part of the city. She was served a salad that looked as though someone had beat the life out of it.
When she asked the waiter if it was fresh, his reply was that it was. Yet when she asked when it was made, he said it was made sometime that morning!
Food inspectors in our country may close a restaurant for a couple of days for violating municipal rules and regulations, but the restaurant simply re-opens and violates the same rules again. A situation like this occurred in a well-known restaurant a couple of months ago, when food inspectors closed the restaurant for a short time.
Yet, soon after it reopened, it was caught serving spoiled meat.
Another point I would like to make is that if a restaurant does not meet the requirements of the food inspection, it should be shut down, and not just for a day or two or a week or two. It should be made known to the public that this particular restaurant failed certain areas of the inspection. It should be exposed in the media, otherwise no changes will ever be made. There should also be random visits from food inspectors, and evaluation forms available for consumers to fill out. After all, food inspection is done for the well-being of consumers, so why not make them an integral part of the process?
It is about time that food inspection is done out in the open, instead of the names of restaurants which have failed to meet acceptable standards being hidden from the public. Inspection should be carried out in the interests of the public, not of the owners of restaurants.
Moreover, it should focus on the freshness of the food, and not just the cleanliness of the environment in which it is cooked. Health, cleanliness, freshness, and quality should be the four main criteria for inspecting any restaurant.
It is not just food. It concerns the health and well-being of people.— Esraa Al-Ghamdi is a Saudi poet. She can be reached at [email protected]


Clic here to read the story from its source.