JFDA tightens noose around food outlets

AMMAN — Around 215 food establishments have been referred to the attorney general’s office and another 108 closed since the beginning of the year after being found in “grave violation” of regulations, particularly in the criteria of food storage, the Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) said on Wednesday.

“It is known that meat, fish and dairy products need to be stored at a certain temperature or else they will go rotten, especially in the summer. We have increased our field visits because some stores and restaurants do not abide by the rules as to decrease their electricity bill,” JFDA Spokesperson Hiyam Dabbas said.

An estimated 40,000 establishments have been inspected by the JFDA this year, with around 11,000 warned and 650 temporarily closed.

“Among the top violations were the employing of non-licensed workers, the ambiguity of price settings and uncompleted store documents,” Dabbas added.

JFDA board member Yaseen Husban told The Jordan Times in a phone interview that “people think only street vendors or shops in obscure places may be dangerous, but the truth is that we have received complaints of food poisoning from guests dining in five-star hotel restaurants”.

“That is why the JFDA’s job is to inspect anything that has to do with food and its preparation processes. That includes everything from the trucks that move it to the kitchen it gets cooked in,” he noted.

So far, the JFDA has disposed of more than 680,000 kilogrammes of solid food and more than 86,000 litres of liquid.

“Most of the disposals came from food-related facilities in Amman, Zarqa and Karak,” concluded Dabbas.