Picture used for illustrative purpose only.

The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) issued a decision administratively shutting down the Abu Dhabi-based Koshary and Halawani Al Tahrir Restaurant, which holds trade licence no. CN-3824604, for violating law no. 2 for 2008 regarding food in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the regulations issued thereunder and posing a danger to public health.

The ADAFSA explained that the food control report stated that the administrative closure decision followed the restaurant’s repeated violations of food safety.

The facility was fined four times and received a warning of administrative closure for several reasons including the presence of ready-to-eat food items exposed to contamination, spread of insects, frequent smoking of workers in storage areas and failure to provide an insect control contract, the ADAFSA said.

The administrative closure order would remain in effect until the restaurant fulfilled all the requirements for healthy and safe food, it added.

The ADAFSA indicated that the closure and detection of the observed violations came as part of the inspection efforts aimed at strengthening the food safety system in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and ensuring the abidance of all facilities by food safety requirements, noting that all facilities, irrespective of their nature and food products, are subject to regular inspection.

The ADAFSA called on the public to communicate with it and report any food violations or any doubt about the contents of a food item by calling the Government of Abu Dhabi Government’s toll free number 800555, enabling its inspectors to take the necessary measures for the ultimate aim of providing safe food to all Abu Dhabi inhabitants.