JEDDAH: The municipality’s Commercial Monitoring Department has visited over 2,000 shops and restaurants in Jeddah over the past three months.
More than half of establishments visited were fined for lacking licenses and health certificates. The department also visited factories, hotels, resorts, warehouses and food-related outlets to ensure health regulations were being followed.
Mahmoud Kinsarah, head of the Commercial Monitoring Department, said the municipality’s top concern is to ensure health and hygiene regulations are adhered to in restaurants and places where food is stored.
He added that in the last three months more than 3,400 health certificates were issued to restaurant workers. “Around 454 business licenses were issued to foreign investors in the same period,” he said.
He noted that the municipality’s new female monitoring department has played an important role in spotting business run illegally by women, something that was difficult to monitor in the past. “The women’s department has issued fines to 467 illegal businesses, including bridal preparation shops, photography studios and wedding halls,” he said.
Kinsarah said that his department organizes surprise visits on a daily basis. “The element of surprise is the key to capturing those who do not comply with health regulations,” he said.
He noted that the Commercial Monitoring Department works in collaboration with the Police Department, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Commerce, the Civil Defense and the Passport Department.
