Restaurant environment and its possible effects on food safety: case study of restaurants in Palestinian Ramallah-Bireh district

ABSTRACT

This study examines the infrastructure of restaurants, in addition to some other related factors that affect the food safety in Ramallah-Bireh District in Palestine, taking into consideration the effect of restaurant location in villages and towns, refugee camps, and cities. It was found that more than the half of the restaurants have a small area that ranges between 4 to 50 square meters; more than two thirds of these restaurants are unlicensed; 81.7% do not have a special storage area; the main sanitary facilities for the kitchen were not available in many of them; and 21.8% do not have toilets. It was found that 65.5% of the restaurants lack cleanliness for different reasons. Nearly 14% of the restaurants are damp, which was mostly noticed on the walls of kitchens. All these indicators could have negative impacts on the safety of foods, and should be taken into consideration for improving the infrastructure and food safety of these restaurants