With the onset of summer when temperatures can reach 45 to 50 degrees Celsius, Riyadh Municipality has launched a three-month food safety campaign that will cover more than 7,000 restaurants including 2,400 fast-food centers in and around Riyadh, said Engr. Solaiman Al-Buthi, Director General of the Municipality's Environmental Health Department. The department has deployed 380 field inspectors and two mobile laboratories with a staff of 25 lab technicians for on-the-spot food sampling. The health officials pay surprise visits and collect food samples for testing from restaurants and fast-food outlets. The tests are done in the mobile labs in 30 minutes, Al-Buthi said. However, for detailed analysis of food items, the samples are sent to the central laboratory at the Riyadh Municipality, he added. He said that with hot summer temperatures, incorrect storage of food items, such as meat, chicken, mayonnaise, ketchup, vegetable salads and other perishable foods can easily lead to contamination. Al-Buthi said that health officials check the storage of food items at restaurants and food-food centers.“The food inspectors have closed down a number of food outlets and in some cases have penalized the management with fines ranging from SR500 to SR2,000 for the violation of food safety rules.” He said authorities order the closure of food outlets if they find a gross violation of food safety rules and penalize them if they employ workers without valid documents, such as Iqamas (residence permits) and health cards issued by the Municipality. A fine of SR500 is levied against a food handler whose health card has expired, and the authorities impose a penalty of SR600 to SR2,000 for food items being sold beyond their expiry date. Consumers should be careful when eating at fast food outlets in the hot summer weather. Chicken shawarma, for example, is a major culprit of food poisoning in the summer season, Al Buthi said. Consumers should also be wary of food handlers at these outlets, and report to the authorities if they find workers with poor personal hygiene, such as those with lacerations on their hands or with long and unclean fingernails. The food safety campaign will continue for three months until the end of the summer season. Consumers are requested to call 940, a 24-hour emergency number to register complaints if they find any violation of food safety rules at restaurants and fast-food centers.
