Seven food business operators were found contravening food safety legislation last month and will be charged accordingly, the Department for Environmental Health said today.

The operators included two hawkers at the Mosta Open Market, two retailers in Marsascala and Floriana and a delivery man in Marsascala, all of whom kept milk outside refrigeration temperatures. A restaurateur in Valletta was booked for not ensuring product traceability and a retailer in Fgura was booked after a complaint regarding the presence of physical hazard in food.

The department said its inspectors also found structural defects, lack of hygiene, labelling irregularities and lack of food hygiene training in 19 outlets.

The inspectors destroyed expired foodstuffs (over 200kg) seized from a wholesaler in Marsa and over 100kgs of milk and milk products which were not stored in adequate temperatures by two outlets in Qormi and Floriana. Approximately 29kgs of other items were destroyed for different reasons from various retailers.

During September, two emergency control orders and three emergency prohibition orders were issued due to a risk to public health. The prohibition orders (orders to close under changes are made) were served on a store in Marsa and the other on a pastizzerija in San Ġwann. No information on the emergency orders was immediately available.

The Health Inspectorate Services can be contacted on telephone number 21337333, by email complaints.ph@gov.mt or at its offices at 37/39, Rue D'Argens, Msida.