If you’re laid low by food poisoning after eating out, you now have the power to shut down the eatery, after Muscat Municipality revealed stricter rules for rogue restaurants.

The local authority has announced a fixed fine of OMR2,000 per case and potential closures of up to 10 days for every offence. Repeat offenders will be forced to pull down their shutters for at least six months. 

During 2016, 1,453 eateries were closed down for violating food safety rules – almost four a day.

According to the new rules, a restaurant can now be closed for a period of up to 10 days for every offence if the evidence proves the eatery workers are the culprits.

In cases of repeat violations, the licence shall be revoked and shall not be granted again until six months after the date of cancellation, a municipality spokesman confirmed. The rules were announced yesterday by Muscat Municipality.

A spokesperson from Muscat Municipality said: “It’s a strict procedure. People can’t just go and make spoiled food and sell it to people. There has to be some sort of public health protection.

“This is one of the most dangerous things that can happen. As you know, the penalty is very high because this affects human life. It’s because of the negative impact on people and their lives - that’s why it’s so high.

“It used to be an open penalty. The inspector himself and Public Prosecution for Muscat Municipality would decide how much the offender would pay. It was usually between OMR500 to OMR1,500. However now, the offenders will have the standard fee of OMR2,000 if they cause food poisoning.”

Any restaurant which does not follow proper procedures for preparation of food shall be fined OMR50, and they will be given a period not exceeding three days to correct the violation.

And if a restaurant serves people raw food, they will be slapped with a fine of OMR500, the rules state. If harmful substances or rodents, insects, or any waste is present in the food, the food will be destroyed, the restaurant will be close for three days and a fine of OMR500 will be imposed.

A total of 37 warnings were issued to food establishments daily in 2016, which totalled 13,443 warnings. Almost 72 violations were recorded every day for non-compliance with requirements, resulting in 26,306 violations last year. Around 62 instances were recorded every day of food being seized and destroyed, adding up to 22,617 last year.

An Indian resident in Oman suffered from food poisoning after eating at a popular fast food restaurant, “I ate at this fast food place and the next day I developed an allergy with rashes all over my body. I went to a doctor who gave me some pills for the allergy and I felt better but then the problem arose again and I was forced to go to different hospitals.

“For a whole month my family has been disturbed, my hospital bills have mounted and I have been going through unnecessary torture. I normally don’t eat at fast food restaurants but my kids insisted so we went.”

D.B. Chettri, a restaurant owner in Al Ghubra, said to avoid food poisoning, every restaurant needs to keep a check on hygiene, “Proper sanitation has to be maintained in the restaurants to prevent any type of food poisoning. The expiry dates need to be checked before using a product and the freezer has to be monitored before using any item, to see if it’s working properly or not.”

“Food equipment needs to be disinfected for bugs and insects. Also during summers food should be cooked and kept because bacteria spreads quickly over food,” he added.

Dr. Pradeep Maheshwari, Physician at Atlas Hospital, called for people to check symptoms of food poisoning, “Food poisoning symptoms that people should be wary of are issues like vomiting, loose bowel motion, abdominal pain. These are the main symptoms. I would recommend that anyone suffering from those symptoms should consult their doctors as soon as they can, as it can be dangerous to experience.”

“Because of these issues, like vomiting and diarrhoea, patients need to replace the minerals and water they’ve lost. At home, they need to consume water, as well as any food items and drinks that would replace salt minerals in their body so that they can recover well from the food poisoning.”

In 2015, twenty people suffering from ‘food poisoning’ were admitted to a hospital in Saham.

According to sources, the victims started feeling stomach discomfort after having food at a restaurant in Saham one night, and were admitted to a hospital as some were vomiting continuously. The victims also had symptoms of diarrhoea, and the authorities shut down the restaurant.

In August 2014, a similar incident taken place in Ibri, where 40 people had become sick due to food poisoning.

In December 2014, the Ibri Primary Court had delivered verdict in the case sentencing three people working in the restaurant to one-year jail term and slapping a fine of OMR200 for serving contaminated food. The court also slapped a fine of OMR1,000 for violating the food safety law

Source: Timesofoman