Mite-infested rice seized from eatery
umm al quwain — The Municipality of Umm Al Quwain has shut down a restaurant for selling rice which proved to be unfit for human consumption.
The municipality’s inspectors detected “large amounts of mites, bugs and worms in about 92kg of rice” offered for sale at the said outlet, according to a senior municipal official.
Ghanim Ali Saeed Ghanim, Head of Public Health and Environment, UAQ Municipality, said the rotten rice was spotted during a raid conducted as part of an inspection campaign launched across the emirate before the holy month of Ramadan. “The seized rice was destroyed and the eatery was ordered shut after the owner was directed to pay a hefty fine.”
Ghanim said the workers at the restaurant fled at the time of the raid. “The workers did not have health cards, which is a violation of the set health regulations.” Ghanim warned that the inspection raids will be intensified and conducted in two shifts. Last week, the UAQ Munici- pality fined a shopping centre for offering undated poultry products for sale, and for being unlicensed for the same by the bodies concerned. Ghanim urged the public to report health-related violations on 050-6866011.