40kg stale meat and fish seized in Sharjah

Sharjah - The meat was unfit for human consumption.

Launching a massive crackdown on meat shops, the Al Hamiriyah Municipality seized 40kg of stale meat and fish "unfit for human consumption".
The inspection targeted butcheries, fish markets and several other meat outlets in various parts of Al Hamriyah city. 
The crackdown - carried out during the fourth quarter of this year - came in the wake of complaints from residents who voiced their concern after they were cheated on weight and source of the meat as well as its expiry date. 
The department of public health in the municipality of Al Hamriyah City undertook a number of inspection tours to the meat shops and outlets to ensure they adhere to safety standards, said Mubarak Rashid Al Shamsi, director of Al Hamriyah Municipality. He added that during the inspection, the municipality confiscated about 40kg of stale meat and fish.
Al Shamsi pointed out that the municipality is working to intensify its supervision on the food, its examination and detection of anything amiss before it is sold - including manipulation and contamination. 
"We also monitor the distribution of meat to the sale outlets and keep check on its storage and supply to check compliance with health regulations."
Al Shamsi stressed that the awareness campaigns carried out by the municipality throughout the year have yielded good results and led to the decline in violations.
"Raising the awareness and health education of workers in meat and fish sale outlets, as well as sensitising them about the importance of quality and validity of food products, has contributed a great deal in bringing about food safety for the residents."
The civic body has also spread awareness among the public so that they confirm the expiry date and make sure that the product is safe for consumption and meets the health standard.
The municipality - represented by the public health department and the health food control division - will continue its inspection and monitoring campaigns and spread it to every section involved in meat trade, Al Shamsi underlined.
Some residents had registered their grouse with the municipality about stale meat being sold and other anomalies rampant in the business.
Obaid Al Kutbi, a resident of Al Hamriyah, said that he could make out the difference between Australian and Pakistani meat. "There is a shop that often sells Pakistani meat as Australian. When I argued with them about the origin of the meat, they tried to convince me that it was from Australia and denied the truth."
Muneer Rizvi, another resident, revealed that the butcheries keep the meat bony to increase the weight, and often manipulate the weight if you ask for boneless meat.

• UAE
• Sharjah