BEIRUT: Health Minister Wael Abu Faour has issued guidelines for combating food corruption, including inspection checklists, which he said were aimed at institutionalizing his anti-corruption campaign.
“We are keen on ensuring the continuity of the campaign which can be done only by converting it into an institutional task that does not end with the change of a minister or end of a political phase,” Abu Faour said in a televised press conference Monday.
He said forms for food samples and final checklists for items which would be checked by the ministry’s inspectors will be distributed to the various restaurants, supermarkets, bakeries, sweet shops and snack bars to end any possible ambiguity.
“There is definitely food corruption, but there also might be some ignorance by the entrepreneurs,” Abu Faour said.
“For that matter we wanted to give them a chance to rectify and improve conditions in their enterprises and make matters clear for the entrepreneurs and the ministry alike,” Abu Faour said.
Once the guidelines are issued, “there would be no more justification for violations,” he added.
The checklist includes kitchen floors and walls, ventilation, general cleanliness of the premises, staff hygiene and training, machines, health supervision, sinks, and waste disposal.
“The entrepreneurs would then know what are the things they would be asked about and held accountable for,” Abu Faour said.
"I hope we are laying the groundwork for the (permanent) procedures of food safety in the country," he added.
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