CMC on food safety:

Stringent action against eateries without proper standards

by Ananda Kannangara

The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) will deploy teams of health officials to check the cleanliness of over 10,000 eating houses, hotels, restaurants and other food parlours within Colombo city limits.

The decision was taken following complaints received by the CMC from the public that a majority of food parlours including restaurants, hotels and temporary eating houses in Colombo Fort, Pettah, Dematagoda, Borella, Narahenpita and other cities do not provide customers with better sanitary facilities. It is said that some restaurants do not even have toilet facilities. Even the toilets at some food parlous are in poor condition and customers, especially females, face immense hardships. The kitchens of some hotels, restaurants and eating houses are also not up to standard and as a result, have become breeding grounds for flies which could even spread diseases. CMC Special Commissioner, Badrani Jayawardane told the Sunday Observer that a rule has already been issued by the CMC to the owners of hotels and restaurants to maintain clean and tidy premises.

She said stern action will be taken against those who do not provide better sanitary facilities for customers and owners of hotels and restaurants for not maintaining their kitchens to the standard.

The CMC has also received complaints that some eating houses provide cooked food items which had remained in refrigerators for over two to three days.