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RAK outlets fined for flouting hygiene laws

RAS AL KHAIMAH - The Ras Al Khaimah Municipality, on Sunday, shut down a restaurant and slapped fines to scores of other outlets including shops for flouting food hygiene laws.

Inspectors also seized five sheep which had been brought for slaughter by meat traders at the municipal abattoir in Ras Al Khaimah.

Veterinary doctors had checked the animals before being slaughtered and found that they had some diseases. Fawaz Abdullah, who heads the food control section at RAK Municipality, said that eight outlets were found violating the rules by the public health inspectors during the inspection campaigns carried out in different areas of the emirate.

He stressed that some of the violating outlets which included restaurants, grocery shops, supermarkets and poultry shops were raided after the civic body received complaints from residents about their continued flout of
 the laws.

According to Abdullah, the restaurant was ordered to be shut after inspectors found it was selling stale food in addition to operating under poor hygiene conditions.Other outlets were found selling expired and spoilt fresh products including fruits and some dairy products like cheese, fresh milk and others.

The inspectors found that some of the outlets, especially grocery shops and supermarkets, were turning off their refrigerators especially at night with an intention of saving electricity which resulted in many of the products getting spoilt, said the official.

Some shops selling poultry products also lacked proper storage facilities which posed a threat to public health.

Abdullah said that fines ranging between Dh500 and Dh5,000 were imposed on each of the violating outlets.

The official said that last week, inspectors seized and destroyed more than 100kgs of liver after finding that were contaminated and could be harmful.During the month of January, RAK Municipality reported that it had identified nearly 213 commercial outlets in different areas of the emirate for flouting municipal hygiene laws.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com