A total of 470 improvement notices were issued to food business operators in June by the Environmental Health Directorate.
This notice is sent to all food business operators following an unannounced inspection.
The intention of this notice is to inform food operators about deficiencies noted in their establishments and the operator is given a specific date in order to remedy these deficiencies.
Legal action is initiated when major deficiencies are noted.
Nine undertakings were entered into with operators. The main reasons were structural deficiencies in food premises, improperly labelled food, and failure to adopt food hygiene training.
Undertakings are legal agreements between the food business operators and the health authority specifying deadlines by which deficiencies in their premises should be remedied or to re-label products in compliance with standing legislation.
Failure to abide with the agreed deadlines results in Court proceedings being initiated.
The directorate said that over 150 kilogrammes of food and drinks were destroyed by the Health Inspectorate most of which were due to labelling irregularities, authenticity or incorrect storage temperature.
Seven contraventions were issued to food business operators; two for selling bakery goods with improper labelling, two for removing sealed products without authorisation from the Health Inspectorate, one for unhygienic conditions in a food business, another for not abiding by an undertaking, and another one for selling raw poultry under unhygienic conditions.
One emergency control order was issued to an operator of a cafeteria for using well water during the production of food and without having registered this well with the Health Authority.
A total 709 samples were elevated by the Health Inspectorate and submitted to the Public Health Laboratory for analysis and/or examination for several parameters.
The directorate said that in thelast three months, 329 cases were heard in over 11 sittings of which 81 cases were decided by the Magistrate’s Court.
Those found guilty were sentenced with conditional discharges ranging from one to six months and over €6,000 were imposed in fines, ranging from €20 to €500.
The directorate said that it received 552 complaints in June – 73 related to food and 479 environmental health related.
The directorate can be contacted on 2133 7333, at 37-39, Rue D’Argens, Msida or by email complaints.ph@gov.mt .
https://ehealth.gov.mt/HealthPortal/public_health/environmental-health/department_for_env_health.aspx