The Riyadh municipality has closed down 1,339 eateries for violating health regulations.
Mohammed Muamnah, head of environmental health at the municipality, confirmed the closure of the eateries. “We recently launched an inspection campaign which covered 4,391 food establishments," he told a local daily.
He said no exemptions were given to any establishment found breaking the law.
A total of 600 men and women health inspectors participated in the campaign, which covered food chains, restaurants and women’s dressmaking shops, the official said.
He said shops would only be allowed to open once they conform to health regulations. Muamnah declined to disclose the amount of fines imposed on the food establishments, but said penalties for violations are mentioned on the website of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs.
According to the list, any worker in a restaurant or café who does not carry a health certificate will be fined SR 500 and banned from working until he gets the required certificate.
If a worker is found suffering from a disease, he faces a fine of up to SR 2,000 and can only return to work once he recovers. Workers who do not adhere to personal hygiene will be fined up to SR 500.
The highest fine on the list relates to the use of expired raw materials, which can go up to SR 20,000 and doubled if the irregularity is repeated.
Muamnah said the ministry has the power to cancel the license of eateries for repeat offenses. He said restaurants and rest houses located on highways come under the jurisdiction of other government bodies such as the Civil Defense and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA).
Most food-borne illness can be attributed to poor sanitation and food hygiene, including poor personal hygiene and contamination of equipment or the environment. Countering it requires joint efforts by the government, industry and consumers, he said.
