Abu Dhabi: The food control authority has closed down a bakery after it was found to have repeatedly violated the emirate’s health code.
The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) issued the decision on Wednesday to close Al Carawan Sweets located in the Al Yahar area of Al Ain until further notice.
Thamer Al Qasimi, director of Communications and Community Services Department at ADFCA, said the bakery had previously received a number of warnings from inspectors.
In a press release, Al Qasimi explained that the closure was made after health violations continued to be carried out in the food establishment.
“The owner of the bakery refused to cooperate and rectify the problems, and failed to maintain a standard of hygiene in the food establishment,” he said.
He stressed that the food outlet will remain closed until the violations are amended, and will be allowed to reopen once it meets the authority’s health and safety standards.
The restaurant committed a number of health violations that jeopardised the public’s safety, which included:
- Failure to implement pest-control procedures
- Spread of insects in areas of food preparation
- Several types of products were not labelled with expiration dates
- Spoilt goods were found stored in the bakery
- Lack of documents to verify maintenance records
The law and food
In January 2016, President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan updated the UAE food safety law, which imposed standards and regulations on traders.
The law also protected the public health and consumers, and enforced strict penalties on those found to be endangering food safety across the UAE. The law authorised the Ministry of Economy to impose fines on dealers in foods, which included a prison term of up to two years, a fine of between Dh100,000 and Dh300,000 or both.
According to the amended food law:
No food may be imported into the country for the first time without approval from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment
Those dealing in food or products that contain pork or alcohol or any of their by-products without permission face a prison term of not less than a month and a fine of up to Dh500,000
Misleading consumers by publishing a false description of food or using incorrect labels will attract a fine ranging from Dh10,000 to Dh100,000.
How to report a complaint
Residents in Abu Dhabi can report food safety violations by contacting the Abu Dhabi Government Contact Centre on the toll free number 800 555.
Dubai residents can notify the municipality of any health code violations in food establishments by contacting Dubai Municipality’s hotline 800 900, or by email at complains@dm.gov.ae or foodpoisoning@dm.gov.ae.
