A massive summer crackdown on food safety breaches, price manipulation, illegal salon and massage services, and expatriates working outside their permits has been demanded by members of the Northern Municipal Council amid growing concerns that violations spike sharply throughout the hotter months.
During a recent extraordinary meeting, chaired on behalf of Northern Municipal Council chairman Dr Sayed Shubbar Al Wedaie by information and public relations committee chairman councillor Abdulla Ibrahim Al Thawadi, brought together senior officials from multiple ministries and government bodies to address what councillors described as an ‘alarming rise’ in public complaints.
Leading the discussions were Industry and Commerce Ministry planning and complaints chief Jaffar Ahmed, field and instant inspections chief Abdulrahman Bukamal, Health Ministry local food safety head Fahad Al Ghareeb, and Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) labour inspections chief Maysaa Al Mattar.
Mr Al Thawadi said the meeting was called because summer historically sees ‘higher rates of violations that directly affect consumers, public health and market confidence’.
Among the biggest concerns raised were alleged fluctuating food prices and accusations of tampering by some traders.
Mr Ahmed said the government reacts whether there are complaints or not – solely through concerned departments or in joint inspections and raids.
“The summer sees increased violations – but violations are there throughout the year,” he said. “We don’t sit waiting – we are present in markets throughout the day and even visit off hours.
“It is a commitment that we have to ensure there is no exploitation or misconduct in the market.”
Mr Bukamal revealed that Bahrain has only 20 inspectors covering the entire country, carrying out both individual and joint inspection campaigns.
“There is no unified pricing system in the market except in exceptional circumstances or on regulated products such as flour,” he said. “Prices naturally fluctuate depending on supply conditions. For example, banana prices have recently increased significantly.”
He added that violations recorded at one branch of a business do not automatically implicate all branches.
Food safety concerns also dominated discussions, with reports of food poisoning complaints and concerns over expired or unsafe products, although no data was produced as evidence.
Mr Al Ghareeb said the Health Ministry conducts continuous routine inspections targeting restaurants, bakeries, grills and food supply outlets.
“Food poisoning complaints are part of the cases we investigate,” he said. “In some situations food may be technically safe from a hygiene perspective, but certain ingredients can still be harmful to specific groups of people and trigger stomach sensitivities.”
He clarified that restaurant workers are not legally required to wear gloves but hygiene standards remain strict. “The hands must always be clean, while hair covers must be worn correctly under health regulations,” he added.
On expired food products, he said many cases were not deliberate attempts to deceive consumers.
“Sometimes a trader simply overlooks an expired product, and once discovered it is immediately removed or returned. Most cases are unintentional – in all cases action is taken immediately.”
Meanwhile, Ms Al Mattar warned that illegal employment practices remain widespread.
“We conduct regular joint inspection campaigns and maintain direct communication with other authorities through WhatsApp and email whenever violations fall under another agency’s jurisdiction,” she said.
She said many complaints involve expatriates working outside their registered profession.
“In some cases expat workers are employed in one place during the day and secretly work somewhere else at night. We also receive malicious complaints filed by rival workers attempting to remove competitors.”
Councillors including Jassim Hejres, Abdulla Shareeda Al Thawadi, Mohammed Al Dossary and Abdulla Al Qobaisi backed calls for intensified summer raids, warning that consumer exploitation and illegal activity must not be allowed to flourish during the summer season.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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