75 Sharjah food outlets fined and hundreds warned over public health failings

Sharjah Municipality carried out inspections at more than 1,000 premises across the emirate

A client looks at products displayed at the frozen products area of a supermarket in Bordeaux, on February 21, 2013. A Europe-wide food fraud scandal over horsemeat sold as beef  emerged in mid-January when Irish authorities found traces of horse in beefburgers made by firms in Ireland and Britain and sold in supermarket chains including Tesco and Aldi. The scandal intensified earlier this month when Comigel -- a French frozen meal maker which bought 500 tonnes of mislabelled horsemeat from Spanghero -- alerted Findus to the presence of horsemeat in the meals it had made for the food giant and which were on sale in Britain..      AFP PHOTO JEAN-PIERRE MULLER / AFP PHOTO / JEAN-PIERRE MULLER
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Dozens of stores, cafes and supermarkets in Sharjah have been fined and hundreds more issued with warnings for breaching food safety regulations during Ramadan.

Sharjah Municipality took action over a host of violations - from failing to store food at correct temperatures and the poor hygiene of workers - after carrying out inspections at 1,145 food establishments in the emirate.

A total of 75 offending outlets were slapped with fines, while 226 received warnings and were told to improve their standards.

The public health campaign, which will run until the end of the holy month, is targeting food warehouses, supermarkets and hypermarkets, grocery stores and cafes.

Omar Al Muhairi, director of food control at Sharjah Municipality, said the crackdown was launched in an effort to safeguard the health of the public.

The municipality issued advice to employees of the establishments on the proper methods of storing foods, the risks of potential contamination and the importance of hygienic practices.

The authority warned that premises that flout safety regulations could be shut down.