The following is a summary of some activities undertaken by the Health Inspectorate Services of the Environmental Health Directorate within the Public Health Regulation Department during the month of May, 2011.

Although the Summer season has not officially started, the Health Inspectorate is already experiencing an increase workload that the warm seasons normally bring with. This increase in workload is evident in both complaints lodged and also inspections carried out. In fact during the month of May:

o the number of inspections increased by 16% over the average of the past months;

o 3 HACCP Audits were carried out;

o the early morning inspection programme on delivery of dairy products and bread was initiated;

o the number of undertakings also increased by 69% over the average of the past months;

o 631kgs of food was destroyed;

o 11 Legionella audits carried out;

o 15 swimming pools audited during 9 audits;

o 19 schools were inspected;

o 16 abatement notices issued;

o 60 consignments imported were inspected;

o 36 Ship Sanitation certificates issued;

o 96 applications were processed;

o 97 visits related to food business applications;

o 809 samples elevated and analysed;

o the official bathing season has been launched;

o 7 citations issued;

o 3 premises issued with an Emergency Control Order; and

o 511 complaints lodged with the Health Inspectorate; 124 complaints more than the previous month.

IMPROVEMENT NOTICES ISSUED TO FOOD BUSINESS OPERATORS

683 improvement notices in terms of article 33 of the Food Safety Act have been issued to food business operators by the Health Inspectorate Services. This is a 16% increase on the average number of inspections carried out during the past months.

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 while the operator is given a specific deadline by when the deficiencies need to be remedied. Though the seriousness of deficiencies might vary, legal action is initiated when major deficiencies are noted.

HACCP AUDITS

Three HACCP audits were carried out during May. The Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point is a Food Safety Management System which is obligatory in all food business operators.

EARLY MORNING INSPECTION PROGRAMME

As done in previous years, during the month of May an adhoc monitoring programme was initiated to monitor delivery of foods in the early morning. During May, twenty-three of such inspections were carried out.

UNDERTAKINGS WITH FOOD BUSINESS OPERATORS

During the same month, twenty five undertakings were entered into with food business operators. Twenty-four concerned hygiene of premises such as provision of washing facilities, HACCP, food hygiene training etc and one concerned improperly labelled food.

Undertakings are legal agreements between the food business operators and the Health Authority specifying deadlines by when 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 May, over 631kg of different foodstuffs were destroyed by the Health Inspectorate, ranging from:

o 510kg of cheese due to presence of mould;

o 71kg of capers, tomato paste, olive oil, honey, maltese-type sausages and other packed food items due to lack of traceability;

o 21.5kg of milk past its use by date; and

o 21kg of dairy products which were unrefrigerated.

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 last month.

During the same month, fifteen swimming pools were inspected during nine relevant audits carried out 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.

During May, two swimming pools were registered with this Directorate in terms of mentioned regulation. A list of registered pools can be found in the Directorate’s website mentioned below.

INSPECTIONS OF SCHOOLS

During May, nineteen schools were inspected to ensure compliance with general hygiene requirements. Such inspections are carried out in private, government or church owned schools and whether, primary, secondary, tertiary or language or special schools.

ABATEMENT NOTICES

Sixteen abatement notices were issued during the previous month by the Health Inspectorate in terms of the Public Health Act and in view of inspections and audits carried out in the previous days.

FOOD CONSIGNMENTS

Sixty consignments of food imported into Malta were also inspected during May by Environmental Health officers attached with the Port Health Services within this Directorate.

SHIP SANITATION CERTIFICATES

During May, thirty-six 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; Malta being an authorised port.

APPLICATIONS AND CONSULTATIONS

During May, another unit within the Environmental Health Directorate, the Food Safety Unit, received fifty-nine requests to process applications to operate a food business. Prospective operators who wish to open a food business are obliged to apply for a permit with the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) and then apply for the actual licence with the competent authority such as 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 carried out a total of ninety-seven visits.

With regards to non-food applications, the Health Inspectorate received another thirty-seven applications for clearance with respect to proposed outlets such as tattooists, beauticians, hairdressers, etc.

SAMPLES

During May, 809 samples were elevated by the Health Inspectorate and submitted to the Public Health Laboratory for analysis and/or examination for several parameters;

o 262 food samples,

o 72 potable water samples,

o 58 swabs,

o 93 infiltration water samples,

o 261 sea water samples

o 10 pool water samples and

o 53 other samples.

During the last months, the Directorate also launched its sampling programmes as has been done in recent years. Throughout this year, 16 microbiological sampling programmes and 28 chemical sampling programmes are planned.

RECALLS

Throughout last month, no food products were recalled by this Directorate.

BATHING WATER MONITORING PROGRAMME

As stated above, during the month of May, 261 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 16th May 2011 and will last till the 23rd October 2010. Sampling is carried out from 87 official bathing sites throughout the Maltese islands.

Up to the 2nd week of the monitoring programme the 87 sites have been classified as follows: 77 sites as Excellent Quality, 8 sites as Good Quality, 1 site of Sufficient Quality and 1 of Poor Quality.

CONTRAVENTIONS

In the past month, six contraventions were issued/processed by the Health Inspectorate, four of which were food related as follows:

o One hawker in Fgura for keeping fish outside permitted temperatures, for failing to provide washing facilities and for failing to register with Food Safety Commission;

o Another hawker in Sliema for failing to provide adequate washing facilities;

o One retailer in Valletta for selling foodstuffs with a tampered label, selling foodstuffs with lapsed use by date and for failing to undergo food hygiene training; and

o One retailer in Hamrun for keeping perishable foods (dairy products) outside permitted temperatures and for and for failing to undergo food hygiene training

Three contraventions were environmental health related:

o One establishment in Paceville for allowing smoking in an enclosed area;

o One premises in Mosta for keeping internal and external parts of house dirty;

o One premises in San Gwann for failing to fix leaking drains.

EMERGENCY CONTROL AND PROHIBITION ORDERS

During May, no food businesses were closed down but three premises were served with emergency control orders, as follows:

1. One premises in Mosta and a bowser driver from Mellieha for using for human consumption an unapproved water supply; and

2. One premises in Marsa for tampering with food labels.

COMPLAINTS

In May, 511 complaints were lodged with the Directorate which were categorised in one or more category, as follows:

o Food related complaints

Seventy-two complaints were related to food. The most common type of food complaints concerned improper labelling of food (13 complaints), risk of contamination (11 complaints), unfit food (7 complaints), unhygienic premises (7 complaints) and personal hygiene (7 complaints).

o Other Environmental Health related complaints

Another 460 complaints were environmental health related. The most common type concerned presence of pests (106 complaints), infiltrations (97 complaints), accumulations of refuse (36 complaints), keeping of animals in unhygienic conditions (26 complaints), foul smells (25 complaints), and discharge of foul water (23 complaints).

Note: The number of complaints and the number of categories do not tally, since one complaint received may encompass one or more categories.

The Environmental Health Directorate takes this opportunity to remind the public that it can contact the Health Inspectorate Services between 7:30am and 3:30pm 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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