Conducted by the Public Health Department last week, the campaign forms part of the municipality’s proactive plans to strengthen food safety and protect consumers’ health as students return to school.

Food safety inspections

The campaign targeted food establishments and retail outlets across the city, with health inspection teams conducting field visits to verify the safety of food products on display and ensure compliance with approved health requirements.

Inspectors reviewed food preservation, storage and display methods, as well as temperatures used for chilled and frozen products. They also checked the cleanliness of establishments, equipment and utensils, and assessed food-handling practices.

The campaign aligns with Al Hamriyah City Municipality’s commitment to intensifying inspections during seasons and periods of increased demand at food establishments. The municipality has previously adopted this approach during Ramadan and Eid campaigns, monitoring food safety as well as transportation, storage, preparation and display conditions to support public health and safety standards.

Inspection teams also monitored employees’ compliance with health requirements and practices, checked product validity and storage conditions, and reviewed procedures for receiving, transporting and preserving food products to ensure that consumers have access to safe and wholesome food.

Increased monitoring ahead of school year

The campaign coincides with the period leading up to and accompanying the start of the academic year, when demand for food products and commodities, including items required by families and students on a daily basis, typically increases.

This has prompted the municipality to step up field inspections to ensure the efficiency of the food supply chain and the safety of products available in local markets.

Mubarak Rashid Al Shamsi, Director of Al Hamriyah City Municipality, sated that the campaign forms part of an integrated programme of preparations for the new academic year and reflects the municipality’s responsibility to provide a healthy and safe environment for the community. He stressed that food safety remains a key pillar of the municipality’s public health and inspection programmes.

“We at Al Hamriyah City Municipality are keen to ensure that our preparations for the academic year cover all aspects related to the health and safety of the community. This includes strengthening inspections of food outlets and ensuring that products are safe and comply with health requirements, particularly during periods of increased shopping activity and higher footfall in markets,” Al Shamsi said.

Proactive inspections throughout the year

Director of Al Hamriyah City Municipality added: “Our public health teams follow a proactive inspection approach based on continuous field monitoring and verification of the safe transportation, preservation, storage and display of food products. They also monitor employees’ compliance with proper health practices, helping to strengthen consumer confidence and maintain the highest standards of public health and safety.”

He explained that the municipality places particular emphasis on ensuring that markets and retail outlets are fully prepared during various occasions and seasonal periods.

Al Shamsi stressed that inspection campaigns are not limited to specific seasons but form part of year-round inspection and monitoring programmes, with efforts intensified according to the nature of each period and the expected level of demand.