Friday 26 / April / 2024
Muscat: The Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACP) in Southern Batinah (Rustaq), in cooperation with the Public Prosecution and the Royal Oman Police, recently arrested expatriate workers who were preparing meals in unhealthy conditions without obtaining the necessary licenses from the authorities.
In online statement, it said “This comes within the framework of the efforts of the Authority in maintaining the health of consumers against the abuses committed by some and a long series of sincere and successful efforts to crack down many of such dangerous and harmful practices.”
Salem bin Mohammed Al Abri, the director of the Consumer Protection Department in Rustaq, said, “The department received information that a number of expatriate workers prepared meals in one of the houses and then distributed them to restaurants, cafes and bakeries on a daily and continuous basis and distributed them to some restaurants and cafes.”
He added, “Accordingly, the department investigated the matter and found that illegal expatriate workers buying large amounts of food preparation supplies. Following this, coordination was made with the competent authorities represented by the Public Prosecution and Rustaq Police Station to raid the site.”
The accused were caught red-handed carrying meals in bags in order to deliver them to restaurants and cafes. Al Abri explained that the culprits rented a house to do so and lacked the minimum health requirements and without obtaining licenses and permits from the concerned authorities. Three kg of flour, 3,128 light cooked meals, 16 empty oil containers,10 kg of green peas, three gas cylinders, two large-size refrigerators, 20 kg of onions and other cooking tools were seized.
After examining these food items, it turned out that they were not suitable for human consumption and the house they rented did not meet the health requirements. There are no health cards for the workers.
