Food outlets around the country will have to tighten up their belts to see that they do not breach the Food Act, 2009 which will result in the outlets paying hefty fines.
These warnings come from the Health Minister after Cabinet endorsed the recommendations of the Fiji Food Summit 2009 held in October.
Doctor Niel Sharma said the purpose of the Summit was to determine how the public and private civic sectors can work together to improve food security and health.
He said the Summit agreed that the double burden of malnutrition in terms of high prevalence of NCD's and micronutrient deficiencies are major concerns for people's health as well as the country's economy.
Dr Sharma said any food outlet found not complying with the law will end up paying a fine from $5000 to $10,000.
He said the recommendations will be prioritized in various government initiatives and plans and the recent Food Summit was part of the preparation work for the regional Food Summit.
Meanwhile, the Consumer Council of Fiji said compensation should not be seen as a "quick fix" when a consumer raises his or her concern.
Chief Executive Officer Premila Kumar's comments come after a bug was found in a serve of food served at a prominent food outlet on Monday morning.
Kumar said the complainant was compensated, however she raised the question that why the consumers have to put up with unhygienic restaurants.
Suva City Council is expected to comment later on the issue.
