Check foodstuff before buying

Residents urged authorities to take stricter measures against supermarkets and food outlets during the summer to prevent cases of food poisoning. Mohammad Hassan, a resident living in Nasseriya, was shocked to discover that the milk bottles he bought last Thursday was curdled. "My two-year-old daughter immediately noticed a strange taste as soon as she tasted the milk. If she got sick, who would have taken the responsibility," asked Hassan, as he pointed out that the milk was still within the time line according to the printed expiration date. After frantic calls to Sharjah Municipality's hotline at 993, which was unanswered, he then visited the main office to file a complaint. According to an official at Sharjah Municipality, a food inspector was then sent to the supermarket for further investigation and confirmed that several other dairy products were unfit for human consumption. "Cases of food poisoning tend to occur during the summer months because shopkeepers take a lenient approach to storing their products. We noticed that many of the small shops would rather switch off their refrigerators and freezers to save electricity, and then switch it back on the next morning," said a municipality food inspector. "Although not all the goods in the refrigerator had gone bad, there were others that were, and this may be caused by a variety of factors that caused the bacteria to speed up," the food inspector noted. Article continues below Responsibility When contacted by Gulf News, Mohammad Al Bannai, Head of Food Control Section, explained that the food establishments will be held responsible for the well-being of the affected consumer. "Municipal inspectors are monitoring food establishments, factories, transport containers, and ports at least twice a week to ensure that food items are stored and transported in sanitary conditions," Al Bannai said. He advised consumers to examine food items before purchasing them. He said to check labels and whether the packages are in good condition. Frozen items should be kept at -18 degrees Celsius and chilled items should be stored between 1-5 degrees Celsius. "We are aware that supermarkets switch off the refrigerators at night in order to save electricity, so consumers should check the packages of food items carefully and make sure that they are not leaking. Chilled items should not be kept in the car for long, because they can be spoilt due to the high temperature," Al Bannai said. Food distribution Sharjah Municipality, in coordination with Sharjah Cooperative Society, have started to distribute food items for UAE national families. The distribution of food items is part of the initiative of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to ensure that the need of UAE nationals for food during Ramadan has been met.Sultan Al Mulla, Director General of Sharjah Municipality said that the municipality will distribute the items after residents register for cards.