Catania: Carabinieri intensify checks for “Christmas in Safety”, fines for hygiene deficiencies in two bars.

As part of the activities to combat illegality in the agri-food sector and to protect public health, intensified on the occasion of the "Christmas in Safety" operation ordered by the Provincial Command of the Carabinieri of Catania, the military of the Arma have increased controls on the territory with the aim of verifying compliance with the sanitation regulations and therefore guarantee the safety of consumers, both the people of Catania and tourists who come from all over the world for the Christmas holidays.

In this context, i Carabinieri of the Catania Piazza Verga Station, with the support of Anti-adulteration and Health Unit (NAS) of Catania, they carried out checks in two bars in the area of Course Italy, contesting the two owners, a 43 year old and a 45 year old, both from Catania, administrative sanctions for a total of 3.000 euros each.

The violations detected concern sanitation deficiencies, pursuant to Article 6, paragraph 5 of the Legislative Decree 193/2007, and the failure to implement the procedures HACCP self-control, as established by article 6, paragraph 8 of the same legislative decree.

During the inspection, investigators found non-compliant hygienic conditions to the legislation in force and in particular, daily usage residues not properly removed in food preparation and storage areas, Insufficient cleaning of work surfaces and equipment, as well as a non-optimal management of maintenance of refrigerators and freezers, essential to ensure compliance with food storage temperatures.

La failure to apply HACCP self-control procedures, compromises the ability to monitor and control critical points during food preparation and administration processes. These protocols, imposed by law, serve to prevent risks, such as contamination or improper food storage, and represent a essential guarantee for consumer safety.

Also the training of staff on good hygiene practices, such as hand washing, cleaning of premises and safe food handling, together with proper waste management, could have ensured higher standards of hygiene and safety.

The violations found, although significant, were considered to be of minor and they did not lead to the suspension of activity. In these cases, the law allows the Carabinieri of NAS to give precise instructions to the owner, obliging him to restore the hygienic conditions as soon as possible and to comply with the regulations.