SHARJAH // Inspectors are cracking down on supermarkets and groceries that switch off refrigerators at night to save electricity.
About 1,200 shops have been visited in the past three months, with 83 fined for turning off refrigerators used to store food.
Inspectors also confiscated 720 kilogrammes of food that had gone bad as a result, said Dr Rasha Al Qassimi, assistant general director for health, environment and quality affairs at Sharjah Municipality.
"Our inspectors always visit the stores very early in the morning to ascertain that the refrigerator was not put off at night, as most of these violations happen at night," Dr Al Qassimi said.
"The practice is aimed at saving a few hours of electricity for the supermarkets and grocery owners."
She warned shop owners against turning off fridges and freezers and said the municipality was committed to ensuring food safety rules were followed to prevent cases of food poisoning.
The campaign will continue throughout the summer.
Inspectors first issue warnings to the shop owner followed by fines starting from Dh1,000. A shop can be closed if the breaches continue.
Dr Al Qassimi urged the public to check the condition, quality and expiry date of food before they buy. Anyone with a complaint can call the municipality hotline on 933.
Inspectors also issued 327 fines to bakeries in Sharjah city for failing to keep the premises clean and for poor personal hygiene among staff.
The Dh300 penalties were handed out for dirty floors, ceilings, walls, refrigerators and accessories. Some staff had long hair, long fingernails and dirty uniforms.
Dr Al Qassimi told Al Ittihad, the Arabic language sister newspaper of The National, that inspectors had visited regular and automated bakeries.
She said regular bakeries had to adhere to strict rules laid down by the municipality's food control section.
There are regular checks to ensure that staff carry health cards that prove they are free from contagious diseases, that food hygiene is maintained, that the premises are clean, that damaged food is disposed of and that pest control and cleanliness are maintained.
For automated bakeries, the role of the food control section is to ensure a safe implementation of health practices and control systems to ensure a safe product for consumers, Dr Al Qassimi said.
Residents of Sharjah have complained about low standards of hygiene in bakeries in the past, particularly at smaller, neighbourhood shops, and have urged the authorities to step in.