The Muscat Municipality has asked shops selling fish and fish products to maintain hygiene and public health practices before renewing their licences and ensuring quality and quantity to the customers.
This announcement comes in the wake of the recent raids conducted in several shops in the capital region where nearly 75 kilos of fish, unsuitable for human consumption, was found and destroyed recently.
Also, consumers should discourage those who sell fish on the streets due to its vulnerability to spoilage and violating civic rules when practised by street vendors.
Speaking to Observer, a highly placed source at the civic body said that the Municipality has established some controls and requirements to be met and observed in practising this trade.
"We, at the Muscat Municipality, pay great attention to the activity of selling fish as this activity is related to the food sector, which directly impacts people's lives," he said.
"First of all, trading in fish, either inside the market or in standalone shops, should be licenced, failing of which will attract a fine of RO 300, and other legal action will be initiated depending upon the nature of the offence," he said adding that the authorities conduct periodic surprise inspections on food and food establishments to ensure that they adhere to healthy practices.
To practice the activity of selling fish, the area of the shop must be proportional to the size of the business, provided that it is at least 20 square meters.
Also, the store must be equipped with refrigerators for preserving fish and devices to measure temperatures, record temperatures daily, and ensure that cooling devices are kept in operation as long as there are fish in them.
Chilled fish should be displayed and preserved in refrigerators at a temperature ranging from 1 to 4 degrees Celsius, while frozen fish should not exceed -18 degrees Celsius.
"Additionally, selling fish meat on the street-side in unhealthy environmental conditions and prolonged exposure to the sun for a long time can cause environmental and health issues," he adds.
Insect-repellent devices should appropriately be used and ensure that the instruments, walls and floors are cleaned and disinfected from time to time, taking care not to affect the fish. The presence of fire-resistant waste containers with lids that open with the foot should be in place.
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