MUSCAT: The Consumer Protection Department in Al Sharqiyah North Governorate, in cooperation with the Department of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, has seized a commercial establishment selling and grilling fish for tampering with fish weights and deceiving consumers.
This action is part of market control efforts to combat illegal and harmful practices and address violations committed by some suppliers.
The case came to light after the department received a report from a consumer about a commercial establishment specialising in selling and grilling fish. The consumer alleged that the establishment was tampering with fish weights. Following this, an officer was sent to purchase fish, and it was observed that the scale displayed a weight one kilogramme higher than the actual purchased weight.
Subsequently, specialists from the Department of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion were called upon to calibrate the scale and verify its accuracy. Their findings confirmed that the scale reading exceeded the actual weight of the fish by more than one kilogramme.
Saif al Nahdi, Head of the Market Regulation and Monitoring Department at the Consumer Protection Department in Al Sharqiyah North Governorate, said: “The Consumer Protection Authority is intensifying its monitoring efforts on the markets through ongoing inspection and monitoring campaigns conducted by its directorates and departments across the governorates. The department also reminds suppliers to refrain from practices that violate the Consumer Protection Law, as this safeguards consumer rights and ensures compliance with legal accountability.”
Legal procedures were initiated against the establishment, which was found in violation of Article (2), Clause (2) of the Unified Law for Combating Commercial Fraud of the Gulf Cooperation Council States. The law prohibits "deception or fraud in the type, number, quantity, measurement, mass, weight, capacity, calibre, identity, truth, nature, characteristics, elements, origin, composition, or expiration date of goods.
Additionally, the establishment breached Article (19), Clause (7) of the Executive Regulations of the Consumer Protection Law, which states that “the supplier is prohibited from using methods or means that make the process of weighing, measuring, or examining goods inaccurate.”
The seized goods have been confiscated, and legal action is being taken against the violators.
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