Zarqa bakery caught reusing stale bread to make new loaves

AMMAN — Zarqa Municipality on Sunday referred to court the owner of a bakery that used stale bread to make new loaves of bread.

The bakery, one of around 150 bakeries in Zarqa Governorate, 22km east of Amman, used to collect stale bread, dip it in water and mix it again with new dough and bake it, Zarqa Mayor Emad Momani told The Jordan Times over the phone.

The bakery’s illegal activity was discovered during an inspection campaign conducted by the municipality’s teams that regularly inspect food stores and restaurants, Momani said.

Insects were also found in flour used at the bakery, the mayor added.

“The situation at the bakery was intolerable. Many sections were not clean at all. The bakery is still open and it is up to the court to decide the volume and type of penalty.”

Noting that residents have a role to play in monitoring and reporting any violations, Momani said the municipality has received several complaints about violations at bakeries and other restaurants and followed up on them.

Violations at bakeries are quite common in Zarqa, he added.

Zarqa Municipality destroyed hundreds of tonnes of food items that were found unfit for human consumption in 2014, including juice, pickles, biscuits and other items, according to the mayor.

“The number of destroyed items is rising annually due to intensified efforts to inspect such violations.”