Muscat – Dhofar Municipality has launched a competition with prizes worth RO6,000 in efforts to raise health awareness among mobile food vendors.

An official of Dhofar Municipality informed that the competition focuses on the health and hygiene practices of mobile cafes and street vendors. “The municipality, represented by the Department of Health Affairs, calls on street vendors to participate in the contest,” the civic official said.

Besides promoting the culture of adhering to health regulations while selling food and beverages, the competition will encourage commitment to food safety and quality, and strengthening community partnership, he added.

Explaining the eligibility criteria of the competition, the official informed that participation is open to all citizens in the wilayat of Salalah who own mobile food stalls.

Participants – municipal licencees and Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises Development’s Riyada card holders – will be evaluated on their commitment to health regulations.

“Registration for the contest will be open from May 14 to June 1, and results will be announced on June 16 at Salalah Grand Mall at 5:30pm. The first prize winner will receive RO3,000, second RO2,000 and the third place winner will be awarded RO1,000,” the official said. 

About efforts to monitor restaurants and cafes, he said the municipality recently announced the first phase of a campaign to monitor preparation of food electronically in food outlets.

“Restaurants, bakeries, cafes and commercial kitchens should have HD surveillance cameras (CCTVs) in the food preparation areas during this phase of the project.”

He explained that these businesses must install a television screen of minimum 32 inch in the dining hall to allow customers to see food and beverage preparation in real-time.

“The campaign aims to reduce violations, raise the efficiency of health control measures, and monitor food preparation and performance of staff to ensure the safety of visitors at food outlets and overall food safety.”

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