Stringent food safety measures in offing

The Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources (MRMWR) plans to take stringent measures in the coming days to ensure the quality of food being distributed across the Sultanate.

As part of the measure, new inspectors and sophisticated equipment will be deployed for food inspections at the supply outlets, both wholesale and retail, it is learnt.

The decision was announced as part of the Food Safety Week 2018, which was launched with a variety of activities and a conference on food safety and security. The week will run from April 8 to 12.

Food Safety Week is being organised by the MRMWR for the fifth year in a row in cooperation with the local and international food safety agencies to raise public awareness about the importance of safety and quality of food.

A number of awareness campaigns and programmes related to food safety will be held in various governorates during the week.

The ministry will be constructing a number of slaughterhouses in various governorates, besides maintaining the existing ones and supervising the other slaughterhouses.

It will provide them with additional manpower to reinforce the country’s veterinary health system.

The number of veterinary inspection teams will be increased to ensure healthy and hygienic meat is distributed across the country.

A ‘Food Safety and Municipal Work 2018’ conference will be organised by the ministry at the Sheraton Hotel from April 9 to 11. It is being held in cooperation with the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU).

Experts from around the world and the GCC will conduct brainstorming sessions on food safety and municipal work at the meet.