Over 48 tonnes of inglorious food

Over 48 tonnes of food and drinks were destroyed by the Health Inspectorate last month.

In a monthly breakdown of its enforcement action, the inspectorate said these included 25,920 kilograms of imported melons and watermelons, which were destroyed because they were not up to the producer’s standards.

Another 21,000 kilograms, this time of energy drinks were also “surrendered” following a seizure order issued, together with 1,267 kilograms of jams and aromas and 2.27 kilograms of pop corn, which had expired.

Two hundred kilograms of sausages were destroyed by court order, along with 52 kilograms of burgers because of traceability and labelling issues.

Another 6.8 kilograms of perishable food, such as sandwiches, were also destroyed, because they were not kept at the appropriate temperature, as were 3.5 kilograms of poultry that were packed at unauthorised premises.

Seven contraventions were also issued: two for storing dairy products without proper temperature control, one over the authenticity of honey, one for tampering with a sealed product, one for keeping an illegal abattoir, one over unhygienic conditions and another for failing to provide traceability documentation, obstructing an officer and a risk of contamination.

Another seven were issued for environmental health issues: two for keeping a cesspit without a permit, two because of dirty houses, one because of an accumulation of refuse, one for not removing a stoppage in drains and another for keeping drains in a bad state of repair and causing an infiltration of water into third-party property. Throughout August, the inspectorate also issued 439 improvement notices to food operators, informing them about deficiencies noted during surprise inspections.

Another nine undertakings or legal agreements were taken with operators who were given a deadline to remedy shortcomings ranging from improperly labelled food to lack of hygiene.