DAMMAM, 5 May 2008 — Jubail Municipality has ordered the closure of 385 shops that were found repeatedly committing serious violations, including the selling of food harmful to human health.
In an annual report released yesterday, the municipality said its food inspectors confiscated 40,902 kilograms of rotten food from various eateries.
The report said inspectors sent 88 samples of food for testing, and found samples taken from three restaurants to be highly harmful. The owners of the restaurants were subsequently fined, the report added.
Municipal inspectors made 7,529 visits and issued 2,362 warnings to restaurants and takeaways, and issued fines totaling SR478,900. They also issued warnings to 25 shops.
The chairman said 2,893 licenses were issued last year to new shops and that 1,882 health certificates were issued to workers in the food sector. The report also showed that the 93,972 livestock, including camels, sheep and cows, were slaughtered at various municipal abattoirs.
Municipal contractors also removed 24,715 tons of garbage and 64,960 tons of building waste, and hygiene workers sprayed 116,606 liters of insecticides to keep the area free from various disease carrying germs, the report said.
The report stated that officials would continue their inspections to guarantee shopkeepers and eateries supply the public with clean and edible food, and that officials would supervise parks, beaches and other public places to ensure hygiene levels are maintained.
