JEDDAH: Jeddah municipality has warned all food shops, restaurants and bakeries to stop using plastic bags and containers that are not safe for hot food.
The municipality announced on Sunday that there will be immediate fines and closures of shops that violate the law.
The deadline for all shops to comply is Feb. 28.
Mohammed Nasir Al Matab, assistant secretary of the sub-municipalities, said the Jeddah municipality already shut down a number of food shops and restaurants under their food safety and security program.
He said the municipality circulated an advisory to officials of sub-municipalities and shops, restaurants and bakeries to not use plastic bags and containers for hot food.
He said the municipality will also close bakeries that do not have conveyor belts to bring the hot bread from ovens and let them cool down before packing.
This food safety and security program was launched almost a year ago to improve the safety and quality of the food that is provided to residents and visitors of Jeddah. This is done through a contract with a British company specializing in food quality to assess targeted food establishments through the E-Cristal program.
The program uses the highest quality standards on all food establishments to ensure a high level of food services.
Jeddah municipality announces immediate fine and closure for food law violators
Jeddah municipality announces immediate fine and closure for food law violators
Japanese researchers hope to restore coral from Saudi-made structures
- Coral skeletons made for Saudi Pavilion at Japan expo last year
- Results of Japanese study to be revealed at Riyadh Expo 2030
TOKYO: Japanese universities are seeking to restore coral reefs and marine ecosystems after receiving artificial structures that Saudi Arabia made and showcased at last year’s Osaka-Kansai Expo.
The coral skeletons were donated to the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa and Kansai University in Osaka Prefecture, Kyodo News reported at the weekend.
The structures are made from calcium carbonate, a material on which corals are believed to grow more easily compared to artificial alternatives such as concrete or metal.
The skeletal structures were created using 3-D printers, with one piece produced a day during the expo, and displayed across an entire wall in the Saudi Arabia Pavilion, which had an area focusing on sustainable marine environments.
Coral reefs serve as habitats for much marine life, but over 40 percent of the world’s 892 species face possible extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The University of the Ryukyus, which received about 150 of the artificial coral skeletons, will place them in waters off the eastern coast of Okinawa’s main island and then examine their impact on the ecosystem.
Kansai University has placed theirs in the sea around Kagoshima Prefecture’s Yoron Island to observe their growth after transplanting coral polyps onto the structures.
The results of the research are expected to be revealed at the Riyadh Expo in 2030.
“I had never imagined that Japan and Saudi Arabia would cooperate on coral research,” said Masato Ueda, a professor specializing in regenerative medicine at Kansai University.
Ueda said he wants to demonstrate to children that “humanity is attempting to restore the environment.”
