Stall owners and organisers of a Christmas market in Rabat still do not know what hygiene requirements are expected of them after health inspectors almost shut down the event prematurely last week.
The event’s organisers plan to discuss regulations with the Health Ministry in January after an inspectors’ visit took them by surprise.
“There seems to be no communication between the police and the Health Ministry,” said one stall owner, still unsure if they had broken any regulations.
Last Monday, Natalis Notabilis, an annual Christmas market in Rabat, was put on hold for half an hour after sanitation officers showed up, telling organisers that every stand requires a sink, and those without the water facility can face a €700 fine.
Sanitation officers telling organisers that every stand requires a sink, and those without the water facility can face a €700 fine
While stands selling freshly cooked food had installed sinks, others selling homemade jams and pre-packed sweets did not.
Booths selling cannoli and doughnuts also lacked sinks as workers filled the desserts with cream and jam by hand while patrons lined up.
Busy Bee’s stand sold cannoli as workers filled the Italian desserts from behind the counter.
Boxed-up Christmas sweets were sold at sinkless stands.
Organisers told officials they would rather shut down the event than have participants face such fines. However, the officials told organisers they wanted to find a way forward while conforming to requirements, and allowed the event to last its run until Wednesday.
Yet the organisers remain baffled as to what they did wrong, insisting they followed all guidelines given to them by the police. Risk assessments, fire extinguishers and ambulances were all part of the fulfilled requirements, one stand owner told Times of Malta on Wednesday.
A stand owner, who sold mince pies and other pre-cooked baked treats said he had participated in multiple iterations of the Christmas event, and not once had they been told they needed to install sinks.
One stand owner selling hot food cooked on a large grill said they always have a sink installed in their stalls at events and feasts. Yet never had the organisers of Natalis Notabilis nor any other event ever specified that it was a requisite to serve cooked food, they added.
Stands selling drinks and desserts.
Rabat mayor Sandro Craus told Times of Malta he was astonished that the inspectors also wanted sinks installed at stands selling cannoli and chocolate.
“Have you ever seen someone selling chocolate needing a sink? Or a market with all the stalls equipped with sinks? That’s why we took it for granted,” Craus said, explaining that every stall cooking and selling hot food was equipped with a sink.
“We are ready to collaborate, but not in the last two days of the event,” said Craus, who is also one of the organisers of the event.
Speaking to Times of Malta, an events organiser said health officials had become extremely particular on hygiene regulations since the start of the year, insisting on sinks in spots handling any form of food.
The one sweet-based stand at the Christmas market that featured a sink was a corner space selling popcorn, colourful candy floss and rubber children’s toys.
“I always bring a sink with me,” the owner of the stand said, washing his hands as he spoke. “[Sanitation] officers seemed pretty happy with me as I keep my surfaces and hands clean,” he said, recalling them passing a positive comment when they walked past his stand on Monday.
Times of Malta sent questions to the Health Ministry on Tuesday morning.
Busy Bee’s stand sold cannoli as workers filled the Italian desserts from behind the counter.
Stands selling drinks and desserts.
Boxed-up Christmas sweets were sold at sinkless stands.
One stall selling popcorn and candy floss brought a portable sink (far left) and soap.