Ein Al Basha food poisoning: Probe committee holds JFDA, Balqa Health Department responsible

AMMAN — The Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) and Balqa Health Department “bear the administrative responsibility” for the recent mass food poisoning in Balqa's Ein Al Basha region, according to the findings of a team tasked with investigating the incident.

Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Muhyiddine Touq, who is head of the probe committee, pointed to “clear problems” in implementation, noting that the number of food inspectors is "grossly inadequate”.

The JFDA's “real existence” is only restricted to four governorates: Amman, Zarqa, Karak and Irbid, Touq said during a joint press briefing with Minister of State for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh and Health Minister Saad Jaber.

The minister said that the administration has only 82 inspectors to tour some 64,000 food facilities, thus the JFDA holds agreements with the Ministry of Health to monitor food safety in the rest of the governorates, among them is the agreement signed with the Balqa Health Department.

Exposing the “underperformance and lack of coordination” of the JFDA and the Balqa Health Department and the “unjustified” shortage of cadres, Touq said that “the committee sees that both parties bear the administrative responsibility”. 

To ensure public safety and to prevent any similar future incidents, the committee has submitted 10 recommendations regarding regulations and stipulations in any agreements related to food inspections, he added.

The recommendations highlighted the importance of creating a database and developing an electronic connectivity to track food chains, as well as providing the JFDA with sufficient number of qualified inspectors. 

The committee called for increasing the number of the administration's offices across the Kingdom and to benefit from university laboratories to test food samples.

It also recommended conducting random sample tests besides the inspection tours, especially during summer and holidays seasons. 

The committee also called for merging several oversight bodies into one authority to enhance efficiency and addresses the lack of coordination among them.  

Also speaking during the press conference, Adaileh highlighted the government's “transparency” regarding all issues related to the public opinion.

He noted that the fact-finding team on the mass food poisoning incident, the judiciary and the Anti-Corruption Commission are investigating different aspects of the incident.