Hygiene regulations for mobile food vendors

MUSCAT, Sept 23 - The Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources (MRMWR) has issued a decision stipulating public health and hygiene regulations for mobile cafés’ and street vendors selling all types of corn. According to the decision, published in the Official Gazette on Sunday, the cabin of the driver in the food truck shall be separate from the part where the food is prepared. The truck should not be used for purposes other than preparing and selling food. It shall contain a heater conforming to the approved standard specifications for keeping pre-prepared foods hot and ready for delivery at temperatures not less than 63 degrees Celsius. The truck shall also be equipped with a water supplier, a refrigerator, a suction fan, a waste bin and convenient lighting system. It is also forbidden to carry out unhealthy activities inside the mobile café or the truck such as smoking. Employees are not permitted to sleep in the carts. Personal hygiene is a must. The owner of the truck should not employ non-Omanis. The working hours should be from 7 am till 12 midnight, and that the distance between the truck and a similar business should be no less than 200 meters. The mobile café should remove all waste after by the closing time and should park in a safe place away from sources of pollution. The violators will be fined RO 10 for not maintaining personal hygiene, RO 10 for not wearing specific uniforms, RO 25 for smoking or other unhealthy activities while at work and RO 10 in the absence of waste bins. Vendors will be also charged RO 10 for each violation such as operating without a health card, and if found to be wounded or sick. Vendors will be charged RO 30 for operating without a licence, RO 15 for non-renewal of the license, RO 5 for not displaying the license at an appropriate place in the cart, RO 50 for practicing during the ‘suspended’ period, RO 50 for not allowing the municipal and other authorised inspectors to perform their duties, RO 30 for not getting rid of insects inside the truck with a suspension for 10 days, RO 10 for wrong disposal of garbage, and RO 100 for selling food unfit for human consumption. Zainab al Nassri