The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has recently moved to designate garbage containers of three different colors to collect the waste from restaurants in a bid to improve their cleanliness and the surrounding areas.

Gray bins are for disposal of fast decaying food leftovers, black bins for paper and plastic and green bins for broken glass and ceramics. The step aims to facilitate the recycling process of the disposed materials and gain from the benefits on both the physical and environmental levels.

The ministry also issued a bulletin containing instructions for waste management, particularly waste resulting from restaurants, in addition to a booklet on food safety. Additionally, the ministry stressed the importance of implementing adequate measures to dispose of solid and liquid waste materials.

The bulletin included a number of measures to educate owners and operators of restaurants and food establishments on the management of solid and liquid wastes to avoid contamination of the food products stored on the premises.

According to the bulletin, liquid waste should be drained into the sewage network located at a distance of at least 10 meters while solid waste should be gathered by hand at first and put inside firmly closed containers to prevent the emission of bad odor.

The booklet on healthy food and its safety includes a number of health requirements that should be available in the buildings and utilities of any establishment dealing with food stuff. These include the location and the spatial area of the restaurant.

The restaurant should be located at a safe distance from bad odor, smoke, dust and other contaminators and should also be built away from the path of floods and water streams. In addition, the floors should be made of fine ceramic which is easy to clean.

The walls should be smooth and painted with, preferably, white oil-paint. The same goes for the ceilings which should be at an appropriate height and easy to clean.

The booklet further requires that all the facilities of the building should be well-ventilated to prevent high temperatures inside the facilities, thick fumes and accumulation of dust. It is mandatory to install suctions in the kitchens to get rid of oily fumes, smoke and odors. Moreover, the kitchens should have low temperatures. The water used in cooking and cleaning should be good for human consumption and from a healthy safe source, according to laboratory tests.

Food should be stored at least 30 cm off the ground to allow surfaces below them to be cleaned easily and to detect any hidden insects or rodents.

Mutton should be separated from fish and stored in freezers. A separate warehouse should be allocated to store charcoal, cleaning materials, insecticides and other stuff.

The booklet details other requirements concerning tools and equipment used in food stuffs. Kitchen tools and equipment should be safe to use, easy to clean, made of noncorrosive materials and in good condition.

Other requirements include that suction fans should be installed where food is prepared and cooked, the place to prepare and serve meals is appropriate, the dishes and utensils be kept in closed closets after cleaning and drying, paper cups should be used to serve beverages, and ovens and stoves should be operated with gas or electricity, instead of diesel.

Cutting boards should be made of plastic instead of wood which is difficult to clean as the cuts on the wood after use can lead to the accumulation of bacteria inside them.

The ministry said in the safety booklet that international color codes for cutting boards must be used to distinguish them for the different kinds of foods such as the red colored board for raw meat (red), yellow for raw chicken, blue for raw fish, white for dairy products and breads, green for vegetables and salads and brown for cooked food.

In order to monitor the hygiene specifications and ensure that eateries comply with the health regulations, the ministry has given directions to the municipalities to make regular inspection rounds of restaurants and food establishments, especially during Ramadan.