The Consumer Council is calling for stronger enforcement action against restaurants and cafes found breaching basic hygiene and food safety standards across Fiji.

Concerns were raised during discussions on the Council’s Annual Reports, with joint inspections alongside municipal councils revealing repeated sanitation issues, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas.

Consumer Council Manager Research and Policy Analyst Lusia Rabaka says while there have been some improvements in the Suva–Nausori corridor, recurring hygiene violations continue to be found in parts of the Western Division.

She says joint inspections have led to some traders working to correct non-compliance issues, but problems persist across the sector.

The Western, we have found recurring issues there but through the joint inspection traders are also in the process of rectifying these issues as the same as the Suva City corridor here, Suva Nausori corridor.

Consumer Council Chief Executive Seema Shandil says many food establishments were found operating in poor and unhygienic conditions.

“The environment is really very dirty in most of the restaurants and cafes around in Fiji. The surprising thing is you know a lot of things are being left open without being covered. You will see pest infesting the places, using usage of oil over and over until it turns black or I don’t know what colour it is.”

In more alarming findings, Shandil says inspectors also discovered cases where food was being handled in highly unsanitary conditions.

She says there were instances of food items being placed in inappropriate areas to thaw.

There have been instances where you know food items have been thrown into places like washrooms to get it thawed on top of toilets

The Consumer Council says while municipal councils are cooperating in inspections, stronger enforcement is urgently needed to ensure compliance and accountability in the food sector.