Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) has recently carried out surprise inspections to shops selling fish and meat products inside the shopping complexes and supermarkets located in Musaffah Industrial area.
The inspection drive mainly targeted the shops doing business with a trade license that doesn't include sale of meat and fish products as a permitted commercial activity.
During the drive, launched by the Meat Establishment Control Section at the Animal Control Division of ADFCA, inspectors visited some 32 establishments in which 3 shops were given warnings while one was imposed fine for violating the rules.
The inspectors also seized and destroyed products amounting 30 kilo grams after being found not suitable for human consumption.
In this regard, Mohammed Jalal Al Rayssi, Director of Communication & Community Service Division of ADFCA said: - "We launch this type of inspection drives out of our keenness to ensure that only the healthy and safe products are available in the market. Also, these drives are key to check the violations and wrong practices as well as to observe the commitment levels of businesses towards fulfilling ADFCA's food safety standards and requirements"
He pointed that when businesses practice food related trade activities without obtaining proper license it keeps them out of ADFCA's routine inspection program.
As the routine inspection program is aiming at raising awareness on health practices and to educate staff how to handle food in safe and healthy way, skipping out of inspections ultimately causes serious risks to public health & safety, he said.
In its efforts to escalate the overall food safety situation in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, ADFCA keeps two kinds of inspections over food facilities. The first of them is routine visits to raise awareness and to give instructions for the improvement of food handling practice. The second one is surprise inspections, carried out to curb the violations and to monitor how much facilities are committed towards complying with the safety standards of ADFCA.
