Salmonella-Contaminated Food, Live Cockroaches Found at Kuwait Restaurant - 10 Shisha Cafe Violations Issued

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 19: The Public Authority for Food and Nutrition (PAFN), represented by the Capital Governorate Inspection Department, in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior, has detected several serious health violations at a restaurant in the Bneid Al-Qar area, resulting in the facility being closed and legal action being taken against those responsible.

During the inspection campaign, authorities found food unfit for human consumption and contaminated with Salmonella bacteria, posing a serious risk to consumer health.

Inspectors also found food being handled and stored under unhealthy conditions, with inadequate technical and health requirements that could lead to cross-contamination. The facility was found to be poorly maintained, with dirt and live cockroaches detected inside the premises.

Other violations included operating the food establishment after its health license had expired and allowing workers to handle food without the health certificates required by the competent authorities. The establishment’s owner was also found to have employed workers without valid health certificates.

PAFN said it will continue its inspection campaigns in cooperation with the relevant authorities and will take the necessary legal measures against establishments and individuals found violating health and food-safety regulations.

In a separate inspection campaign, the PAFN’s Al Farwaniyah Governorate Inspection Department, in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Interior and Public Authority for Manpower, conducted a joint inspection tour of shisha cafes in the Al-Ardhiya Industrial Area.

The campaign resulted in 10 violation reports being issued. Five reports were issued against workers for handling or trading food without obtaining the required health certificates, while another five were issued against business owners for employing workers without valid health certificates.

The joint inspection forms part of ongoing regulatory efforts to ensure food establishments comply with health and safety requirements and to protect consumers from practices that could pose risks to public health.

Authorities stressed that legal action will be taken against violators as part of continued efforts to enforce health regulations across food establishments in Kuwait