90% OF HONIARA’s FOOD OUTLETS FACED CLOSURE

More than 90 percent of food outlets including restaurants in Honiara face closure for failing to comply with the country’s Pure Food Act, announced the Ministry of Health and Medical Services.

This follows a ‘Food Hygiene and Safety Inspection Operation’ carried out by the Environmental Health Division, Honiara City Council and National Environment Health Division, Ministry of Health and Medical Services last week.

Announcing this to the media today, Chief Health Inspector for Food and Safety Ethel Mapolu says most food outlets in Honiara failed to comply with the country’s Food Act.

“I should say that more than 90 percent are non-compliant, they are not complying with the existing regulation so one can just walk in there and just look at the owner sitting there with no shirt on, what does that tell you, from a health perspective or even if you go in at the back of the preparation it’s like a pig pen or something like that. These are real issues that are currently going on.”

Meanwhile Undersecretary Health Improvement, Dr. Chris Becha says a detailed report of the operation outcome is being compiled.

“We will compile a report on this activity and it will be shared with the relevant authorities and the ministry and we’ll take it to the executive level, the permanent secretary with my other colleagues to discuss it with two authorities; the Honiara City Council and Guadalcanal Province because that’s where it started, so eventually the sustainability of the program is our concern and we want it to continue and roll it out to other parts of Guadalcanal and also other provinces.”

The notice was served last Friday.

Inspection continues this week.