A team of inspectors of the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) issued warnings to 12 food outlets during an inspection campaign in Liwa city, targeting a total of 21 outlets of high and medium risk categories.

The authority has launched the campaign as part of intensive inspections across the emirate ahead of the holy month of Ramadan. Mohammed Jalal Al Reyaysa, Director of Communication and Community Service at the ADFCA, said the inspection campaign was in anticipation of the massive turn out of customers in the days preceding Ramadan.

“The main focus was on restaurants, cafeterias and groceries. Nine outlets were fully compliant with the rules. We have not issued any violations, which reflects the rising level of compliance with food safety rules,” he pointed out.

The warnings were issued against selling products not allowed as per the licence, bad hygiene, maintenance, storing and ventilation, sale of food stuff whose origin was not clear, use of paper napkins in place of cloth pieces and refreezing of frozen items after heating.

Last week, ADFCA inspectors conducted a two-day inspection campaign in Abu Dhabi city on meat shops during which 12 outlets out of a total of 40 were issued fines and 57 kg of meat was ordered to be destroyed due to bad quality.

Another 28 meat shops were fully compliant with the rules.

The shops were warned for the following reasons: Unhygienic cutting boards and freezer roofs, not getting rid of unusable meat residues, packing meat beyond capacity in the freezers preventing air circulation, not switching on the insect traps, not changing water in knife sterilizers, not separating meat from the discards such as liver, kidney and hearts in the freezer and not wearing head covers.