Chefs must wear gloves

Manama : In an effort to curtail food borne illnesses, a Bahraini MP has proposed a new bill to ban barehanded contact when handling food that will be plated for customers in restaurants. 

The bill proposed by MP Nabeel Al Balooshi calls for making gloves mandatory for staff who are in direct contact with food in all classes of restaurants.

The bill will be discussed during the next legislative term, which is expected to begin by October this year.

“Many restaurants in Bahrain are not committed to the health and hygienic standards,” a matter which Al Balooshi said, “leads to spreading diseases.”

The bill, according to the lawmaker, aims at protecting consumers from the dangers of contaminated food. “This would reduce food poisoning and other related diseases,” Al Balooshi
added. 

The lawmaker also insists on the need to raise awareness among those who work in restaurants. 

He demanded the authorities for stricter supervision in restaurants, highlighting the increase in the number of restaurants operating in the Kingdom. 

“They receive scores of people on a daily basis. However, some of them are not complying with the standards set by Health Ministry. This unfortunately results in spreading diseases,” the MP said in a statement. 

Several instants of cleanliness violations have been reported in the past in the Kingdom with the Health Ministry conducting surprise inspections to ensure compliance with health standards.

DT News reported in April that the managers of a first-class restaurant in the Seef District were referred to the Public Prosecution over cleanliness violations.

Any complaints regarding food safety can be reported to the Food Monitoring Department by calling 39427743.