The Environmental Health Directorate within the Public Health Regulation Department has given information on the enforcement actions and other activities undertaken during the previous month by its Health Inspectorate Services. From this month the Directorate would like to inform the public with action taken with respect to other activities that fall within its remit.

Improvement Notices Issued to Food Business Operators

During June, 470 improvement notices in terms of article 33 of the Food Safety Act have been issued to food business operators.

This notice is sent to all food business operators following an unannounced inspection by Environmental Health Officers within their establishment. The intention of this notice is to inform food operators about deficiencies noted in their establishments and the operator is given a specific date in order to remedy these deficiencies. Whilst the scale of deficiencies might vary, legal action is initiated when major deficiencies are noted.

Undertakings with Food Business Operators

During June nine undertakings were entered into with operators. The main reasons were structural deficiencies in food premises, improperly labelled food, and failure to adopt food hygiene training.

Undertakings are legal agreements between the food business operators and the Health Authority specifying deadlines by which deficiencies in their premises should be remedied or to re-label products in compliance with standing legislation. Failure to abide with the agreed deadlines results in Court proceedings being initiated.

Destruction of Food

In June, over 150kg of food and drinks were destroyed by the Health Inspectorate most of which were due to labelling irregularities, authenticity or incorrect storage temperature.

Legionella Audits and Pool Inspections

Eleven audits at Hotels, and other similar premises to ascertain compliance with Control of Legionella Regulations, 2006 (L.N. 5 of 2006) and the Registration of Cooling Towers and Evaporative Condensers Regulations, 2006 (L.N. 6 of 2006) were performed by the Health Inspectorate.

During the same month, seven pools were inspected by the Health Inspectorate to verify compliance with Swimming Pools Regulations, 2005 (L.N. 129 of 2005). This regulation specifies that all swimming pools with the exception of those situated at a single family residence need to register with this Directorate. A list of registered pools can be found in the Directorate’s website mentioned below.

Inspections of Schools

During June, twenty one schools were inspected to ensure compliance with general hygiene requirements.

Food Consignments

Forty-eight consignments of food imported into Malta were also inspected by Environmental Health officers attached with the Port Health Services within this Directorate.

Ship Sanitation Certificates

During June, nineteen Ship Sanitation Certificates were issued by the Port Health Services. Such inspections are carried out in terms of the International Health Regulations of 2005 and involve the assessment of the general hygienic conditions and control measures undertaken on ships. Such certificate needs to be renewed every 6 months at an authorised port.

Applications and Consultations

During June another unit within this Environmental Health Directorate, the Food Safety Unit, received 78 requests to process applications to operate a food business. Prospective operators who wish to open a food business are obliged to apply for a building permit with the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) and then apply for the actual licence with the competent authority for example the Trade Licensing Unit or Malta Tourism Authority. At every stage, this Directorate is consulted in order to verify suitability of proposed premises.

During the same month, Environmental Health Officers deployed within this unit processed four consultations to food businesses and carried out a total of 113 visits.

Contraventions

§ Food related contraventions

Seven contraventions were issued to food business operators; two for selling bakery goods with improper labelling, two for removing sealed products without authorisation from the Health Inspectorate, one for unhygienic conditions in a food business, another for not abiding by an undertaking, and another one for selling raw poultry under unhygienic conditions.

§ Other Environmental Health related contraventions

During June, no contraventions were issued with regards to non-food issues.

Emergency Control and Prohibition Orders

During June, one emergency control order was issued to an operator of a cafeteria for using well water during the production of food and without having registered this well with the Health Authority. No emergency prohibition orders were issued during the month of June.

Recalls

During this month, an ice tea was recalled by the Health Authority and the public was informed through press release number 1006 issued on 1st June, 2010 through the Department of Information.

Food is recalled when there is a direct or indirect risk to human health due to the presence of foreign objects, pathogenic and potentially pathogenic organisms, adulteration of food, unauthorised GMOs, etc.

Samples

In the month of June, 709 samples were elevated by the Health Inspectorate and submitted to the Public Health Laboratory for analysis and/or examination for several parameters;

o 112 food samples

o 75 potable water samples,

o 357 sea water samples, and

o 165 miscellaneous samples.

Bathing Water Monitoring Programme

As stated above, during the month of June 357 samples of sea water were collected and submitted to the Public Health Laboratory to be analysed for microbiological parameters as stipulated by EU Directive 2006/7/EC. The bathing water monitoring programme is carried out in accordance with the provisions of said EU Directive. The official bathing season started on the 17th May 2010 and will last till the 24th October 2010. Sampling is carried out from 87 official bathing sites throughout the Maltese islands.

Up to the 6th week of the monitoring programme the 87 sites have been classified as follows: 82 sites as Excellent Quality, 3 sites as Good Quality and 2 sites as Sufficient Quality. None of the sites have fallen within the Poor Quality group.

For any up-to-date information about bathing water, the public may also use the automated telephone system of this Directorate by calling at any time on 21827146.

From the Law Courts

During the last three months, 329 cases were heard in over 11 sittings of which eighty one cases were decided by the Magistrate’s Court. It should be clarified that since a case may have been heard more than once within these three months the statistical data below might indicate different amounts.

From these cases, those found guilty were sentenced with conditional discharges ranging from one month to 6 months whilst, a total of over €6,000 fines (ranging from €20 to €500) were imposed against the responsible persons of;

Mandes Cafeteria, Triq San Pawl, Rabat;

Green Acres, No.22, Triq Gia Cint Tua,

Gzira; Impex Ltd, Triq ta’ Mellu, Mosta;

Gozitan Restaurant, Paceville Avenue, San Giljan;

Paradise Greengrocer, Triq Sant’ Antnin, Zejtun;

Chiaroscuro, 44, Triq Id-Dejqa, Valletta;

and Best In Town, Vjal il-Wiehed u Ghoxrin ta’ Settembru, Naxxar

for not complying with an undertaking.

Cigar Room, Portovino, Portomaso for permitting smoking in an enclosed public place;

Hawker vehicle registration number DAQ 118 at Mosta open air market for unhygienic conditions, tampered durability date, risk of contamination, and keeping foods in the temperature danger zone;

Daily Fresh, 57, Correa Street, Qormi for unhygienic conditions, risk of contamination, keeping of painted wood, failing to abide with given instructions and for wilfully not giving information to the Health Authority (premises is now under new management) and;

Sciberras Distributing Agency Ltd, N/S Mdina Rd, Zebbug for selling soft drinks not in one of the official languages;

Asia Food Store, Nazju Ellul Str., Gzira for having in possession food not in the official language, failing to inform the Health Authority about food products which may cause injury to health, and no documentation.

Complaints

In the same month, 552 complaints were lodged with the Health Inspectorate. These were categorized as follows:

§ Food related complaints

Seventy three of these complaints were related to food. The most common type of food complaints concerned unhygienic premises (19 complaints), fitness of food (14 complaints), alleged risk of contamination (11 complaints), improper labelling of food (8 complaints), use of prohibited material as fuel in bakehouses (6 complaints) and personal malpractices (5 complaints).

§ Other Environmental Health related complaints

Another four hundred and seventy nine complaints were environmental health related. Once again, the most common type concerned presence of pests (161 complaints), infiltrations (73 complaints), accumulations of refuse (41 complaints), keeping of animals in unhygienic conditions (39 complaints), discharge of foul water (36 complaints), and 35 complaints regarding foul smells.

The Environmental Health Directorate reminds the public that it can contact the Health Inspectorate Services between 07:00am and 03:00pm on telephone number 21337333, by calling personally at its offices at 37-39, Rue D’Argens, Msida or by email complaints.ph@gov.mt .

For further information, the public is also encouraged to visit the Directorate’s website at URL: https://ehealth.gov.mt/HealthPortal/public_health/environmental-health/department_for_env_health.aspx

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