Oman bans certain processed meat brands

Muscat: Oman’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry announced on Wednesday the impounding of a number of imported processed meat brands that allegedly failed to comply with the Sultanate’s food safety norms. It also banned the import and distribution of these brands on safety grounds.

Oman News Agency (ONA) quoted an official of the ministry’s Directorate General of Standards and Metrology as saying that the ban also applied to a frozen boneless beef brand samples of which were found to contain high levels of bacterial contamination.

Citing a ministerial decision that authorises action against imported products falling foul of the country’s prescribed minimum standards and specifications, the official also said the import ban would remain in place until safety concerns were suitably addressed by the manufacturers.

Of late, the Omani government has adopted a tough line against importers and distributors of food and non-food commodities that it says fail the country’s stringent safety standards. The Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACP), set up as part of a package of far-reaching reforms that followed unrest in the country in 2011, has been moving aggressively to crack down on merchants, restaurants and other retailers found to be in breach of consumer protection regulations.

An almost daily bulletin issued by the Authority’s media section provides a regular record of violations investigated and duly recommended for prosecution by the consumer watchdog.

Separately, the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, which is responsible for food safety in municipalities distributed across the various governorates of the country, has also periodically moved against importers and suppliers of products falling short of Oman’s food safety laws.