Two restaurants have been shut down in Abu Dhabi city for flouting food-hygiene rules.

Al Thana Restaurant and Pak Restaurant were closed for posing a danger to public health by the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA). The closure of the restaurants was due to repeated violations of conditions and requirements related to health and food safety.

The violations for Pak Restaurant included failure to maintain hygiene during food preparation, use of dirty equipment during food preparation, failure to implement effective programs to combat pests, insects and rodents and lack of cleanness at the facility in general.

For Al Thana Restaurant, the inspectors detected high-risk violations that affect food safety, including small insects found next to the vegetable area in the kitchen, and many foodstuffs were found without expiry dates.

Inspectors from Adafsa had issued three warnings and three violations against the facilities, but the restaurants did not clean up their act. They continued to defy the rules, which forced authorities to shut them down.

The authority has confirmed that the administrative closure orders will remain until the violations are corrected and the facilities fulfil all the necessary food safety requirements to ensure public safety.

All food establishments are subject to periodic inspection by the authority’s inspectors to ensure compliance with food-safety requirements, the Adafsa statement said.

Residents have been urged to report any violations at food outlets or when in doubt about the contents of food products to the Abu Dhabi government toll-free number 800555 so that legal action can be taken.