Restaurants fail to meet basic hygiene and food safety standards continuously.

A market surveillance of over 111 food establishments in major cities across the country reveals a pressing need for urgent action to ensure the safety and well-being of consumers.

The Consumer Council of Fiji says the results were concerning, with almost 50 percent of surveyed establishments either operating without a valid Health License or displaying an expired Health License.

The surveillance also uncovered an alarming lack of adherence to food grading requirements, with 81% of the restaurants surveyed failing to display a valid Food Grading Certificate.

Traders claimed that their establishments had not been inspected by authorities in order to ascertain a food grade.

The Food Grading system allows restaurants to be awarded either an A’ grade (90%+ compliance to Food Safety requirements), a B’ grade (80–89% compliance), a C grade (70–79% compliance), or a D grade (Less than 70% compliance).

Notably, authorized officers have the power to order the closure of establishments that receive a grade of ‘C’ or lower, depending on the nature of non-compliance.

Further analysis revealed that 77 out of 111 of the surveyed restaurants were found to be neglecting the use of functioning food warmers for their cooked food, while 89 lacked any form of insect control measures, leading to increased risks of contamination from flies and cockroaches.

Additionally, 91 of the restaurants were found to have flies and cockroaches, posing serious health hazards to patrons.

CEO Seema Shandil says 71 of the restaurants surveyed were in need of a thorough cleaning.

Shandil says health authorities must conduct regular and rigorous inspections of all restaurants to ensure compliance and identify any violations.

The results of these inspections, violations, and penalties should be disclosed to the public, thus empowering consumers to make informed choices.

She adds that restaurants that are not complying must be held accountable and subject to the penalties prescribed by the Food Safety Act.

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