Maktoob Business reports that a poor health inspection in Abu Dhabi could land a food outlet’s operator in jail. In response to two outbreaks earlier this year that caused the deaths of three children, the emirates food standards regulator has proposed a new law establishing jail time for outbreaks and infractions.

The authority has already stepped up its campaign to clean up the emirate’s eateries, shutting down close to 70 food establishments for health and safety violations so far this year, according to the paper.
“These regulations will be in place so that it’s obligatory for every food establishment to follow them,” ADFCA spokesman Mohammed al-Reyaysa was quoted as saying.

Frank Yiannas of Wal-Mart writes of the behavioral effects of consequences in his book Food Safety Culture. Frank says:

Although negative consequences should be used from time to time in the field of food safety, they should be used with care and discretion. Ideally, negative consequences for knowingly or intententional unsafe behaviors can be integrated into the disciplinary or performance management process already established.

Studies have repeatedly shown that an emphasis on positive consequences over negative consequences generally leads to enhanced performance.

The proposed law definitely establishs some negative behavior consequences; whether they are culturally apporpriate behavior modifiers and will result in less sick people is unknown.