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Ministry’s food and hygiene inspection
drive yields results
Over 6,600 lots of unsafe food destroyed in 2008
A food inspector checks out items
in a supermarket.
By Conrad Prabhu
MUSCAT — The Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources
(MRMWR) seized and destroyed 6,696 lots of unsafe foodstuff items in
municipalities falling within its remit in 2008, according to a senior
official. Muadh Salim al Hinai, Head of Food Inspection and Hygiene, said
the seizures underscore the ministry’s continuing drive against unsafe food
and hygiene practices that fall foul of Oman’s recently enacted Food Safety
Law.
Promulgated by Royal Decree 84/2008, the Food Safety Law empowers
authorities to deal with potential threats to public health and consumer
safety stemming from the import and consumption of unsafe food. Speaking to
the Observer, Al Hinai said the seizures were made during an annual calendar
of inspections of groceries, foodstuff outlets, cafeterias, restaurants and
other establishments that engage in food-related activities. Inspections are
not only conducted at the ministry level, but also at the regional and
wilayat levels.
Food safety regulations warrant action against a wide range of safety and
hygiene related infractions. “Food items can be seized and destroyed
for different reasons, starting from improper labelling and packaging, to
quality, appearance, and even the conditions in which food is prepared,
displayed or stored.”
In particular, inspections are intensified during summer when high ambient
temperatures potentially lead to spoilage and food contamination. Outlets
and eateries located in areas patronised by tourists are also routinely
inspected. But in a sign that inspection and enforcement efforts are
yielding better results, last year’s haul of unsafe food seizures was
markedly below the previous year’s tally of 7,636 seizures, said Al Hinai.
“Things have improved since the promulgation of the Food Safety Law. Side by
side with inspection and monitoring, we are also engaged in active awareness
efforts aimed at educating all concerned — sellers and consumers — about the
importance and benefits of food safety and hygiene.
“With awareness comes the realisation on the part of sellers that unsafe
food is bad for business. Consumers too are becoming conscious of the clout
they wield in making the right choices with regard to their purchases of
safe and healthy food.” Significantly, the ministry also imposed a total of
9,594 fines against private establishments for various public health related
violations during 2008. This compares with 7,470 fines issued in 2007. A
total of 271 establishments were also ordered shut last year on public
health grounds, while 3,260 warnings were issued for milder offences.
With the potential for food spoilage more pronounced during summer, civic
authorities are stressing the importance of sanitary food handling, proper
cooking and refrigeration to avoid contamination, and the consequent risk of
food borne illness. The Food Safety Law and related regulations spell out
guidelines for the safe and hygienic handling, display and sale of
perishables by hotels and commercial establishments. Violations attract
penalties and other legal sanctions.
The ministry has published a number of informative pamphlets that address a
wide spectrum of concerns, right from buying foodstuff and perishables, to
storing, handling, preparing, cooking and preserving food. There is also
special advice with regard to meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, and other
frozen and chilled foodstuff.
Food safety regulations require that refrigeration equipment containing
fresh, chilled or frozen foodstuff must remain running 24 hours, all seven
days of the week. Moreover, temperatures must be maintained at specified
minimums to provide different levels of cooling for different product
categories. The laws also forbid overloading of refrigeration systems, which
can result in defrosting and consequent spoilage of the stored food items. |
