The Jeddah municipality temporarily closed down 1,426 eateries during the current year for various violations including serving contaminated or expired food and for the presence of insects and rodents in kitchens, local daily Al-Madina reported on Monday quoting a municipality's report. The restaurants and eateries in various parts of the city were closed down by health inspectors of the main municipality and the other 14 branch municipalities in the Red Sea coastal city. The report said during the year, 170,416 eateries and food-serving establishments were inspected. It said 3,376 facilities were found to be safe and strictly applying all the hygienic conditions while 12,614 were found to have minor violations which did not necessitate their closure and 1,426 were closed down. According to the report, signs of contamination and expiry were found in the food being served by the closed eateries. "Some foodstuffs were badly stored and had no certificates of origin," the report added. The report said insects and rodents were detected in places where meals were being prepared. "There was obvious lack of cleanliness and some workers had no health certificates," the report said. The municipality did not name the violators but said it had officially documented all the violations. It said the campaigns were aimed at ensuring that the food served to the residents and visitors was healthy. "The closure was temporary pending the eateries corrected their violations," it added. The campaigns had also targeted luxurious eateries and restaurants of the five-star hotels. The municipality said its health inspectors were highly qualified and they were subjected to rigorous training sessions. Mayor Hani Abu Ras has directed health supervisory teams to intensify their raids which should also include the cafeterias and the fast-food restaurants.
