Restaurant Environment and Its Possible Effects on Food Safety: Case Study of Restaurants in Palestinian Ramallah-Bireh District

Objective and Methods: This study examines the infrastructure of restaurants, in addition to some other related factors that affect the food safety in Ramallah-Bireh District in Palestine, taking into consideration the effect of restaurant location in villages and towns, refugee camps, and cities. Results: It was found that more than the half of the restaurants have a small area that ranges between 4 to 50 square meters; more than two thirds of these restaurants are unlicensed; 81.7% do not have a special storage area; the main sanitary facilities for the kitchen were not available in many of them; and 21.8% do not have toilets. It was found that 65.5% of the restaurants lack cleanliness for different reasons. Nearly 14% of the restaurants are damp, which was mostly noticed on the walls of kitchens. Conclusion: All these indicators could have negative impacts on the safety of foods, and should be taken into consideration for improving the infrastructure and food safety of these restaurants.