Ecuador's health agency Arcsa shuts down two eateries over severe sanitation violations

The National Agency of Regulation, Control and Sanitary Surveillance (Arcsa) closed a restaurant serving traditional fritada in the parish of Pomasqui, Quito, after inspectors found live cockroaches, dead cockroach bodies, extreme unhygienic conditions and serious breaches of food‑handling rules.

Arcsa also ordered the closure of a pastry‑production plant in the Mapasingue sector north of Guayaquil after discovering rodent feces, cockroach presence, mold, broken washing tanks, contaminated water, oxidised equipment and improperly stored raw materials. The agency said the conditions posed an immediate risk to consumer health and said inspections will continue across the capital, urging citizens to report sanitary irregularities via its mobile app.