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Abu Dhabi shuts down supermarket-cum-bakery for food safety violations

Monday, Sep 10, 2012

Abu Dhabi: A supermarket-cum-bakery in Abu Dhabi city was closed down yesterday due to unhygienic conditions including the presence of pests.

Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority ( ADFCA ) has ordered punitive closure of Hani Supermarket and Bakery WLL, located on Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street (Airport Road) due to repeated violations of food safety rules, said a press release issued by the authority yesterday.

Ahmad Abdul Karim Al Sharaf, Acting Director of Communication and Community Service at ADFCA said the outlet had violated several rules. “First of all, sufficient number of workers had not undergone the Essential Food Safety Training provided by ADFCA , a mandatory requirement for all food establishments in the emirate. Secondly, food items were stored and prepared in improper conditions. Sweets were being prepared while cleaning and maintenance work was going on. Cockroaches and insects were found in the outlet,” he explained.

There were insufficient washbasins for the workers in the bakery. In view of these violations, ADFCA inspectors recommended the shop be closed until the violations are rectified to comply with all the rules and regulations, the official said.

A representative of the owner of the outlet denied all the charges made by the authority. He told Gulf News that the authority ordered the outlet not to operate while maintenance work was going on inside and it was not due to any food safety violations.

He claimed the outlet had sent all its food handlers for the authority’s mandatory training. “Some of them failed the exam and they will be sent for the exam again; that’s the usual procedure,” said the representative who requested anonymity.

He denied the presence of cockroaches and insects inside the shop. He also claimed that there was sufficient number of washbasins in the shop.

ADFCA sources told Gulf News that after a routine inspection by their team at the outlet found serious violations, a special inspection team from the authority visited the outlet yesterday, which took the decision to close it down.

The authority had already warned the outlet to rectify the violations on February 14 but there was no progress even after almost seven months, they said.

But the owner’s representative said the ongoing maintenance works inside the shop were part of the corrective measures suggested by the authority.

The authority started naming and shaming food outlets being closed down for serious food safety violations about three years ago. The authority said it has helped improve the compliance of food safety rules in the emirate because businesses are keen to maintain their reputation.

By Binsal Abdul Kader Staff Reporter

Gulf News 2012. All rights reserved.

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