Muscat, Sept 30 - While continuing its crackdown on illegal and unethical trading practices across the Sultanate, the Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACP) has urged people to report any type of fraud or manipulation by traders. “Unscrupulous manipulation, especially by those involved in food and beverage businesses, can have serious repercussions on humans,” the authorities have warned. According to authorities, health safety guidelines have to be followed especially in products used in our daily lives, such as ready-to-eat food, home furniture, electrical appliances or auto spares.
“We should have a strong recycling and waste management policy so that illegal and unscientific reuse of products can be prevented. I have seen people looking for discarded furniture outside apartments and waste bins. Naturally, they have some business interest,” Abdubaker, a senior executive at a leading furniture brand, said. “We are not against people getting affordable products, but it should not risk their lives in the long run,” he said. On Sunday, PACP reported that, in cooperation with the Public Prosecution in Barka, it seized a large quantity of expired processed food products that were redistributed in the market, including megastores, with labels that had new production and expiry dates.
During the course of investigation, it was learnt workers were storing foodstuff in a rented building in Barka without relevant approvals and in an environment that did not meet health safety requirements. The accused produced dried cheese and vegetables (used for pickles) in warehouses and rooms used for staff accommodation and sold them with labels (new production and expiry dates) to more than 15 outlets across Oman. They used to lease special sections at commercial centres to market these products. The premises in Barka were subsequently raided and several expatriate workers arrested. It was found some of the products sold had expired in 2017 itself.
More than 1,000 labels with fake details were seized from the site along with a delivery vehicle that did not meet the required standards. Similarly, a commercial establishment involved in the re-manufacturing of spare parts and selling them as new to some 35 institutions in the Sultanate, including big oil companies, was raided last week. Also, some businesses were raided in the recent past as they were found to be illegally making new products out of the discarded furniture.
Vinod Nair
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