Restaurants violate Food Safety Standards as maggots and cockroaches are found in food being sold

Cases have been lodged with the Consumer Council of Fiji where a consumer purchased chicken soup from a restaurant and noticed maggots upon opening the container.

The council says whilst the restaurant has provided redress upon the council's intervention, the fact that food was infested with maggots and was even sold to the consumer cannot be taken lightly.

In another case, a consumer purchased a chicken wrap and noticed a dead cockroach inside the wrap.

The council says certain food establishments are willfully flouting food safety laws and standards; with issues such as contaminated food, not wearing PPEs, dirty surrounding and pest infestation becoming a common sight in restaurants.

These issues were evident during the latest string of market surveillance coupled with complaints received by the Consumer Council of Fiji.

Chief Executive Officer, Seema Shandil says while legislative frameworks exist to deter such practices, some food establishments continue to defy regulations and infringe upon the rights of consumers; placing their health at risk in the process.

Shandil says the presence of maggots and cockroaches in meals is absolutely alarming and shows the level of negligence, carelessness and money-making attitude of certain food establishments.

The council has alerted Municipal Councils and the Ministry of Health about these cases and a collaborative approach between the organizations will be used to address issues discovered.