CMC raids eateries:

Legal action against 262 unhygienic food outlets

by Ranil WIJAYAPALA

The Public Health Department of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) will file legal action against 262 hotels and food outlets of the 800 hotels they raided with the assistance of the police over the past three weeks, the Medical Officer of the CMC Public Health Department Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam said.

He said Food Inspectors and Public Health Officers with the assistance of the Police raided more than 800 city hotels and food outlets to check their unhygienic conditions.

These raids were carried out in the Fort, Dematagoda, Grand Pass, Maradana, Narahenpita, Bambalapitiya, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Galle Face Green, Kotahena, Borella and Slave Island.

"Of the 299 food samples collected from these hotels, 102 samples were found to be contaminated", Dr. Kariyawasam said.

He said the Food Inspectors took samples of curries such as, dhal, beef and chicken and salads and tested them for E-coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

"Some of the samples were found to be positive for these tests and in some food samples they found salmonella", he said.

Dr. Kariyawasam said that 20 out of 36 water samples they had taken from some of these hotels were contaminated.

"Many of these hotels use water from tube wells for cooking, against the bylaws of the CMC.

"Steps were taken to seal all these tube wells", he said.

He said raids were also carried out in 114 outlets in the Manning Market on Friday to detect the use of chemicals and unapproved colourings on fruit and dry fish.

"The CMC City Analysts Division will test those samples to check whether they have used approved colouring", he said.