In an effort to maintain hygiene in restaurants, commercial kitchen facilities and grocery stores, the Jeddah Municipality has decided to come down heavily on establishments which fail to conform to the safety norms.
After inspecting the restaurants and commercial kitchens, the municipality will give the establishments three days to rectify irregularities before shutting down power supply to such businesses.
The Jeddah Municipality’s branch office in Jamia district has already raided 27 restaurants, commercial kitchen facilities and some grocery stores and found them to be in violation of basic food and health safety requirements. It has also imposed fines of SR 130,000 on such establishments, and warned them to fall in line or face further action.
A statement issued by Abdul Wahab Ghonem, chairman of Jamia Municipality Branch, made it clear that the civic body will not tolerate any establishment not conforming to food safety rules.
Expressing concern over the lack of basic hygiene in some restaurants’ kitchens (some of them had rotting meat in their premises), he said the municipality was paying special attention to food being prepared during the holy month of Ramadan.
Following directives from Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs Prince Mansour bin Miteb, municipalities across the Kingdom have intensified efforts to curb unhygienic practices in restaurants. The Riyadh Municipality has already ordered the closure of hundreds of restaurants and eateries for not following the norms. In Jeddah too, inspections of restaurants and eateries have gone up fourfold.
Power cut for unhygienic restaurants
