Muscat – The police seized a fake food distribution ring in the market, including megastores.
The Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACP) busted the illegal trade in coordination with the Public Prosecution.
Expatriate workers were storing foodstuff in a rented building in Barka without relevant approvals and in an environment that did not meet any health safety requirements.
The accused produced dried cheese and vegetables (used for pickles) in a warehouse, rooms used for staff accommodation and then sold them with labels (new production and expiry dates) to more than 15 outlets across Oman.
They used to lease special sections at commercial centers to market these products.
Following investigations, the premises in Barka were raided and several expatriate workers were arrested.
It was found that some of the products that were sold with new production details had actually expired in 2017.
More than 1,1000 labels with faked details were seized from the site along with a delivery vehicle for that did not meet the required standards.