This is the monthly report of salient activities performed by the Health Inspectorate Services of the Environmental Health Directorate within the Superintendence of Public Health during November, 2011.

The following is a summary of the report for the month of November:

o Over 6,372kg of different foodstuffs were destroyed;

o 2 outlets were closed down;

o 600 improvement notices were issued;

o 12 undertakings were issued with respect to food safety issue and three in respect of public health issues;

o 14 Legionella audits carried out;

o 16 swimming pools audited during 8 audits;

o 13 abatement notices issued;

o 53 consignments imported were inspected;

o 2 packages containing tattoo equipment were withheld and a person was found in possession of tattoo equipment without any permits;

o 2111 notification for importing/trading food into Malta;

o 25 Ship Sanitation certificates issued;

o 99 applications were processed;

o 623 samples elevated and analysed;

o One product was recalled;

o 10 citations issued/processed;

o 2 operators were instructed to stop from certain food related activities;

o 459 complaints lodged with the Health Inspectorate.

IMPROVEMENT NOTICES ISSUED TO FOOD BUSINESS OPERATORS

Six Hundred 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 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.

UNDERTAKINGS

During the same month, twelve undertakings were entered into with food business operators in terms of the Food Safety Act including to improve hygiene, improper labelling, to implement HACCP and to ensure that all food handlers undergo training on food hygiene.

Another three undertakings were made under the Public Health Act with establishments to ensure that risk assessment is made and hence a risk assessment manual is kept with regards to Legionella exposure and also to keep a safety operating procedure manual for swimming pools.

Undertakings are legal agreements between the commercial 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 November, over 6,372kg of different foodstuffs were destroyed by the Health Inspectorate, ranging from:

• 5,472kg of cheese due to presence of moulds;

• 544kg of minced pies with lapsed durability date;

• 150kg of horsemeat due to lack of traceability;

• 148kg of bakery goods due to lack of durability date;

• 26kg of flour with insect infestation;

• 6kg jam with improper labelling and lack of traceability;

• 3kg frozen bakersware due to improper labelling

• 2kg ricotta due to risk of contamination and

• 21kg miscellaneous food stuffs

LEGIONELLA AUDITS AND POOL INSPECTIONS

Fourteen 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, sixteen swimming pools were inspected during eight 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 November, two swimming pools were registered with this Directorate in terms of mentioned regulations. A list of registered pools can be found in the Directorate’s website mentioned below.

ABATEMENT NOTICES

Thirteen 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.

ENFORCEMENT NOTICES

During last month, a public health order was issued on a person as he was in possession of tattoo equipment without the necessary permits from the Minister of Health.

FOOD CONSIGNMENTS

Fifty-three consignments of food imported/traded into Malta were also inspected during November by Environmental Health Officers attached with the Port Health Services within this Directorate.

NON-FOOD CONSIGNMENTS

During this period, officials from the Port Health Services also withheld two packages containing tattoo equipment which were being imported illegally into Malta.

CONSIGNMENTS DOCUMENTARY CHECKS

2,111 requests for importation/trading of foodstuffs were submitted to the Port Health Services as required by Trading Regulations of 2004 (Legal Notice 315 of 2004. This is a considerable increase when compared to previous months, probably due to increased awareness of traders and increase in enforcement by food related authorities following a press release (PR 1531) issued in August.

SHIP SANITATION CERTIFICATES

During November, twenty-five 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 November, the Health Inspectorate received ninety-nine requests to process applications to operate food and non-food business. Prospective operators who wish to open such businesses 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 with the Food Safety Unit, which is involved in the licensing of food related business carried out a total of 105 visits.

SAMPLES

During November, 623 samples were elevated by the Health Inspectorate and submitted to the Public Health Laboratory for analysis and/or examination for several parameters;

o 310 food samples,

o 160 potable water samples,

o 16 swabs,

o 67 infiltration water samples,

o 70 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

During last month, one product was recalled as follows: • Soup mix due to presence of insects.

CONTRAVENTIONS

In the past month, ten contraventions were issued/processed by the Health Inspectorate, eight of which were related to food safety issues:

• Two traders for producing and distributing foodstuffs which were not of the nature, substance and quality demanded by the purchaser;

• A catering establishment for breeching an undertaking;

• One retail outlet for selling foodstuffs with information not being in one of the official languages;

• One warehouse for not conforming with an emergency control order issued last year;

• A trader for tampering with foodstuffs that were sealed by the Health Authority;

• One pastizzeria for keeping premises in unhygienic conditions and in bad state of repair, failed to provide certain facilities, and exposing food to risk of contamination; and

• One supermarket for offering for sale foodstuffs with lapsed Use by date.

Two contraventions were related to environmental health as follows:

• Owner of a plot of land for keeping an accumulation of refuse; and

• Owner of a cesspit for failing to render it leakproof.

EMERGENCY CONTROL ORDERS

During November, the following operators were served with emergency control orders as follows:

1. One manufacturer due to illegal manufacture, processing and packing of food

2. One warehouse operator due to pest activity

Both outlets were instructed to stop any food production/storage activities.

EMERGENCY PROHIBITION ORDERS

During last month, the following premises were closed down by the Health Authority due to imminent risk to public health

1. Army and Navy Bar, Triq il-Kbira, Hamrun; and

2. Amazon House, St. Edward Str., Qormi

COMPLAINTS

In November, 459 complaints were lodged with the Directorate which were categorised in one or more category, as follows:

o Food related complaints

87 complaints were related to food. The most common type of food complaints concerned unhygienic premises (18 complaints), unfit food (18 complaints), risk of contamination (10 complaints) and improper labelling (10 complaints).

o Other Environmental Health related complaints

Another 401 complaints were environmental health related. The most common type concerned presence of pests (111 complaints), infiltrations (65 complaints), foul smells (32 complaints), accumulations of refuse (31 complaints), defective drains (20 complaints), and keeping of animals in unhygienic conditions (14 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 or on its facebook page on http://www.facebook.com/pages/Environmental-Health-Directorate-Malta/145027878928626

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