The Macau Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) said in a statement yesterday that there were 3,776 takeaway establishments with valid registration certificates in Macau as of June 30.
The statement noted that during its routine inspections, the bureau has continued to monitor the takeaways’ food safety, the inspection of their overall hygiene, and whether they are legally registered for operation.
With the “Registration System for Establishments of Takeaway Activities”, having been in force since November 15, 2021, the bureau has since fined four takeaways for opening to the public before being issued with the registration certificates, while one other business was fined for not displaying its registration data to the public, according to the statement.
The bureau underlined in the statement that takeaway businesses are required to apply to register with the bureau prior to opening, and then must be issued a registration certificate before they can start selling their food to customers. They must display the registration data to the public, the statement underlined.
The premises must also have their registration certificates displayed “in an obvious place”, the statement underlined, while also showing their business registration numbers when operating or promoting their food on the internet or on apps.
The statement added that those operating third-party online food ordering and delivery platforms, such as takeaway apps, are responsible for ensuring that all the takeaways joining their platforms have completed their registration and have their registration numbers displayed on the platforms for consumers to verify.
Violations of the registration system are punishable by a fine ranging from 5,000 patacas to 35,000 patacas.
The statement noted that more details are available on www.foodsafety.gov.mo, where one can search for the list of registered takeaways by entering the registration certificate number, the takeaway’s name, address or location to ensure that they are operated in line with the bureau’s official food safety regulations.
The content of the laws and regulations, the application formalities, among others, are also available on the webpage.
This undated handout photo provided by the Macau Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) yesterday shows an IAM official inspecting a takeaway.
