Lack of hygiene leads to closure of restaurants in Maputo

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Lack of hygiene leads to closure of restaurants in Maputo

1:45 CAT | 06 Mar 2017

DW / Cristal restaurant

Cats, stench and foul water were among the problems encountered by the National Inspection of Economic Activities’ recent inspections of catering establishments, with two of Maputo’s most emblematic restaurants shut down.

In less than a month the National Inspection of Economic Activities (INAE) has ordered the closure of two of the Mozambican capital’s most iconic restaurants. Officials found foul water in the kitchens and washrooms, bad odours, cats, leaks and disorganised workers locker rooms, among other offenses.

Mosambik - Restaurant Continental (Romeu da Silva) — Restaurant Continental

Mythical restaurants targeted

Last month, the historic Continental restaurant in downtown Maputo was closed. “The first thing we noticed when we arrived in the kitchen was the horrible smell,” Rita Freitas, Inspector General of INAE, said at the time.

This week, it was the turn of the legendary Cristal restaurant, located in the prime area of the capital, where the problems were duplicated.

“The dirty kitchen – and the dirt is not from preparing food, because it is normal for a kitchen not to be so clean at lunch time. This is not what we saw.”

At the Cristal restaurant, authorities found pets in the kitchen. “It is unacceptable to have cats in a kitchen because of their hair and urine,” Freitas said, saying that “general cleanliness” was required.

“Dirt from the work”

Carlos Alberto, the owner of the Cristal restaurant, was disappointed with INAE’s attitude. According to him, the place is clean.

“I think it’s time we reached a consensus and settled things. If they found cockroaches on the plates, or anything else, fine, but that was not the case,” he says.

According to Alberto, dirt is part of the daily work. “There are things that are inevitable in cases like these. There is not a lot of dirt. There is the dirt generated by the work itself.” he remarks. “The place is cleaned thoroughly for those who come in in the morning and, especially, in the evening.”

Restaurants that do not comply with the basic rules of hygiene are subject to fines, calculated on the basis of the type of infraction detected.

Source: Deutsche Welle