1,200 tonnes of expired food destroyed in Sharjah

SHARJAH // More than 1,200 tonnes of expired food was confiscated and destroyed in the first quarter of this year.

Sharjah Municipality’s public health department discovered the food unfit for human consumption during almost 13,000 inspections of cafes, restaurants, supermarkets and grocery shops.

Shatha Al Muala, director of the department, said that 10 food establishments had been closed for failure to comply with food and safety standards

“They will reopen when they comply with the health code,” she said.

She added that school cafeterias were also inspected, and samples from the drinking water were taken to the laboratories to make sure it was safe to drink.

Other municipalities in Sharjah also have been carrying out inspections to find violations of food safety standards.

In Al Dhaid, the municipality issued 295 warnings and fined 61 food business for failure to comply with the health code in the first quarter of the year.

In the small town of Al Hamriya, inspectors had confiscated 115 kilograms of expired food in 230 inspection visits since the start of the year.