The different municipalities of the country, represented by their health control sections, have adopted a comprehensive inspection plan on food establishments and outlets to monitor their compliance with health regulations and ensure the safety of food items throughout the phases of food preparation including handling, transportation, storage, and distribution until the final product reach the consumer.
Ahead of the Eid holidays, the action plan includes intensifying inspection and awareness campaigns on various types of food establishments (restaurants, catering kitchens, major shopping centers, sweet and bakery shops, outlets selling fresh meat and fish, vegetable and fruit shops) during the holidays to ensure the preservation, preparation, and distribution of food items under healthy conditions, in addition to spotting any violations to take the necessary legal action against violators to safeguard public health.
Local Arabic daily Arrayah reported that all municipalities across the country have also allocated teams, hotlines, and other means to receive and follow up on related public complaints around the clock, either through phone calls or electronic platforms. Complaints will be monitored during the holidays, and inspections of shops will be carried out in three shifts, 24 hours a day. Further, the different slaughterhouses will have veterinarians posted there to inspect slaughtered livestock, in addition to an adequate number of workers to meet the expected demand.
Further, the concerned companies have been instructed to increase the number of butchers, sanitation workers, and security personnel while regulating consumer entry into the slaughterhouses. Veterinarians will be present in each slaughterhouse to examine slaughtered animals and ensure their suitability for human consumption.
Meanwhile, health inspections will cover the fish market to inspect fish coming directly from the sea, as well as fish inside shops on daily basis during the Eid Al Fitr holidays. Work shifts of veterinarians and health inspectors have been arranged to receive complaints during the holidays throughout the day, in coordination with the Unified Call Center at the Ministry of Municipality, to ensure immediate and adequate response to such complaints.
