المملكة: Prevention of pests and pollution … new requirements for quality and safety with central kitchens

The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing has announced the adoption of new requirements for central kitchens in the Kingdom, within the framework of developing the food safety and environmental sustainability system.
This step aims to raise quality standards in providing food, and ensure their circulation according to best health and architectural practices, with a focus on consumer protection and the environment together.
The Ministry obliged all new installations to strictly adhere to the Saudi construction code, including construction, electrical, and mechanical requirements, as well as ventilation and air conditioning systems, health requirements and energy rationalization requirements.
The Ministry stressed the need to implement all works and equipment in accordance with the approved standard specifications.

Safe food trading

Among the engineering requirements, facilities must be designed to ensure sufficient and safe foods for food, starting with receiving and preparing them, and ending with or distributing them, taking into account that the food preparation area is far from any possible pollution sources.
The new requirements impose sufficient preparation and storage facilities commensurate with the size of operations, allowing food production in a healthy and safe way.
The instructions were keen on the necessity of effective control of potential pollution, through an internal design that allows full cleaning of all the internal parts of the facility, and to fortify them against the arrival of insects and rodents.
She stressed that a sewage system designed in a way that prevents water sources from pollution is implemented, and to avoid leakage of grease or any other pollutants.

From cooking to storage

The Ministry stressed the need to allocate clear and approved areas to prepare food, with the possibility of visually separating them through transparent glass or screens, so that it allows the supervisory authorities and customers to follow up the preparations directly.
The requirements specified that the workflow must be organized within the central kitchens according to a linear production line that starts from receiving food, through its storage and preparation, then cooking and serving them, which reduces the possibilities of mutual pollution between raw and intimidated foods.
In the same context, the requirements imposed the allocation of separate areas for the circulation of raw food and prepared for eating, and the design of buildings to allow the collection of requests and waste without the need to pass through the preparation areas.

Standards for ground ovens

For ground furnaces, the requirements have made it clear that they should be equipped with walls of thermal bricks with conical repression and chimney to drain smoke, as well as air withdrawals fans, to ensure that the surrounding environment is not contaminated.
Each oven is obligated to use stainless steel covers and provide a special stream next to it that contains a layer of sand or red soil, while stressing the need to clean the enlightenment fabrics regularly.
The requirements included clear organizations for the mechanism of obtaining licenses, where any activity is prohibited without obtaining a municipal license, and any additional activity is not included in the granted license.

Licensing requirements and activity practicing

In the event that the store is closed by the secretariat or the municipality, it is prohibited to restart it without correcting violations and obtaining official approval.
It is prohibited to use public sidewalks or parking lots for the purposes of commercial activity, with the need to keep the facilities facilities clean and free from any random stickers, with the exception of stickers that determine the working hours and ways of entry and exit.
The facilities requirements were obligated to use drinking water only in all operations, whether for cooking, cleaning or preparing, while ensuring that water is provided with appropriate temperatures and pressure.
All equipment used in dealing with food must be subject to healthy manufacturing standards, while preventing the use of wooden tools that may cause germs to accumulate, and replace them with equipment made of plastics or safe materials in contact with food.

Rulings of receiving and preserving food

The Ministry stressed the need to allocate independent areas to clean and sterilize equipment and tools, using thermal washing machines or approved chemicals, and providing tools dedicated to each type of food to avoid pollution.
The requirements have developed strict mechanisms for receiving food, which require examining all supplies to verify their safety and compatibility with the temperature standards for cooler and frozen storage, and not to accept any food outside the specified temperatures, whether for frozen products “not less than -18 degrees Celsius” or the refrigerator “not more than 4 degrees Celsius”.
In the same context, food facilities are committed to examining temperatures when receiving foods using clean and sterile scales, with these readings recording and preserving them as documents to prove health control.

Storing food in a safe way

Instructions obligated food installations to allocate separate storage areas for both food, food components, equipment, and chemicals, while preventing the storage of any food items in clothing rooms, toilets, generators rooms, or chemical warehouses.
The storage places should be clean, protected from rodents and pests, and equipped with solid shelves that are not corrosive, while leaving sufficient distances between shelves and floors to facilitate periodic cleaning and ensure good ventilation.

Dealing with excess food

One of the important additions within the new requirements is to compel the facilities that exceed 400 square meters by contracting with the “Grace” associations licensed to redistribute the surplus of food in an organized and safe manner, to reduce food waste and support charitable work in the Kingdom.
The Ministry also completely prevented the re -use of the foods previously provided or sold in any way.
The requirements were obligated by all establishments to appoint a food safety specialist who holds an accredited certificate within the Kingdom, to ensure continuous control over all operations and their compliance with global food safety standards.
In the central area of ​​the Two Holy Mosques, the ministry stressed that food is delivered directly to the beneficiaries or through the approved charities, with a clear warning against strict regulatory measures against any facility that violates these rules.