DOHA - A section of diners has slammed some eateries and fast food outlets in the city for lack of personal hygiene of food handlers.
Many of them say they lose their appetite when the food is served by attendants who are not particular with their personal hygiene.
"When you encounter a malodorous food attendant, sometimes you also doubt the cleanliness of the food served," said Danilo Gatmaitan, a site engineer.
"Good grooming is essential to any organisation so I always remind my staff to always clean themselves before going to work, since they represent the company," he explained.
Not having a well-groomed staff could also be a drawback to the food business. "I don't visit a restaurant whose employees don't groom themselves well," another restaurant customer said.
"It is not easy to be a food handler. We have to take care of our health since unlike other workers, we undergo annual medical checkup; but sadly there are other food handlers who are not particular about personal hygiene," a food attendant at a coffee shop said adding that many of them are appalled by malodorous co-workers.
"It's just a matter of having to take a shower regularly and using perfume and deodorant," she said.
She also disclosed that they receive a lot of complaints from customers every day. "They even personally tell the supervisor about the situation but to no avail," she said.
"The Ministry is very strict about promoting cleanliness in restaurants and other food establishments. Just one strand of hair in food or an expired product could result in the closure of a restaurant," she added.
It is worth noting that Doha has been witnessing closure of a number of eateries and food establishments failing to comply with the guidelines set of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture (MMAA), the latest of which is the Hot Bread Bakery in Najma.
The government has also been very keen in promoting consumer health safety through certain initiatives like the recently launched awareness programme for food establishment employees by the Doha Municipality which was aimed at giving simple but useful information on food infection, food poisoning, individual hygiene and healthy behaviour.
© The Peninsula 2008
