Strict inspection of food planned at Muscat airport

Muscat: Food coming into Oman from Muscat International Airport will now be subject to increased scrutiny and checks from Municipality health inspection teams.
The move is to ensure the quality and hygiene levels of the foodstuff and the health of the population.
Under the standards issued by Muscat Municipality, food will be destroyed if it does not meet Omani consumption benchmarks and will be sent for laboratory analysis if there are concerns over its fitness for human consumption.
The municipality carries out inspection programmes on all food items that are imported into the Sultanate.
Anisa Al Oufi of Muscat Municipality told Times of Oman, “The health sector in Muscat Municipality is concerned with the development of public health services, the health of the environment, and increasing the effectiveness and adequacy of municipal practices used for field inspections. The department is also responsible for supervising the health inspection services which look at food arriving at seaports and Muscat International Airport. “Muscat Municipality has created an independent unit at Muscat International Airport as it is the major crossing point for food that comes into the Sultanate,” she added.
“It has assigned an independent department to it and entrusted it with several tasks, including the release of food imported in the cargo terminals and verifying the dates of validity, as well as the import details and the suitability of the food for human consumption, to ensure it is free of prohibited substances.”
According to data released by the municipality, a total of 1.73 million kilogrammes of imported food items were cleared for consumption at Oman’s ports of entry.
Of these, 71,863 kgs were cleared at Muscat International Airport, and 77,069 kgs were greenlit at overland points of entry. The bulk of imported food came through Port Sultan Qaboos, which saw clearances of 1.58 million kgs. Another 599.5 kgs were cleared after being brought in as personal food items.
97 clearance certificates were issued at Muscat International Airport, with a further 11 at Port Sultan Qaboos, and 24 at overland points of entry. 19 certificates were issued for food items of a personal nature.
In a single year, the department carries out an average of two inspection campaigns, in addition to two to three campaigns targeting food stores at Muscat International Airport, which are carried out both in the cargo and airport terminals.
Spoilt and unserviceable shipments of various foodstuffs such as vegetables, fruit or meat or manufactured foodstuffs are disposed of after being checked by specialists in laboratories.