Fahd Bin Jleid
CAN you believe that the salt shaker warning icon on New York City menus is the source of dispute between the city’s restaurant owners and its department of health? This is due to the insistence of the latter that eateries should have the image of a salt shaker on their menus to warn the public on high-salt dishes at chain restaurants.
Some restaurateurs argue that such measures would needlessly mire already burdened eateries in more red tape. Meanwhile, NYC’s health department insists on the necessity to warn people who eat meals from restaurants that high-salt (high-sodium) dishes are harmful to health, and that there is too much salt in these meals, compared to the recommended sodium level of less than 2,300 mg, or one teaspoon, per day
In some of our fast food restaurants, the frying oil is used repeatedly for more than two days without any warning or even intervention. Furthermore, no importance is attached to a complaint on repeatedly used cooking oil. If matters were left to me, I would have opened the way for providing external scholarships to the heads of municipalities and public health supervisors of restaurants and grocery shops so that they know the value of humans and the importance of maintaining their health. Such matters should not be neglected at all!
In neighboring Gulf countries, the first places that were supervised were the restaurants of five-star hotels, in order to ensure that food is safe and that no food from open buffets is reused between meals. Apart from this, small cafeterias have surveillance cameras installed in them. Also, there is clear abidance by the rules. Data on the frying and cooking oil used is available for all to see, including when they were used and disposed of.
In the Kingdom, the issue goes beyond food and drink being suitable for consumption and some of the ingredients being harmful. It reaches to noncompliance with the imposed laws and conditions. One of Riyadh’s well-known hotels supplies guests with bills for food and beverages in English only. The bill has a footnote that says: “If you want a bill in Arabic, ask the waiter to provide you one.” It is as if Arabic is the second language in the Kingdom and English the official language!
The supervisory regulations on food in our country should go beyond superficial matters. It seems that we are keen to imitate international restaurants only. We compare the prices and appearances without raising questions on the ingredients, nutritional value and hazards of added substances.
I am sure that if a team from the New York State Public Health Council visits the traditional restaurants in the districts of Al-Margab or Al-Hillah in Riyadh or Ghulail in Jeddah and saw kawarea (bone soup) or taqatee (fried pieces of kidney and liver) being prepared, not to mention the type of oil and the quantity used to prepare liver (kibdah), its members would have a stroke. They would have no idea what warning labels, symbols or descriptions to use on such menu items.
We have reached this current state because those serving as municipal supervisors need not have gone overseas to study abroad on a scholarship. Furthermore, it is impossible to send a person occupying this post to study abroad on scholarship.
