Bahrain-New meat regulations.

BAHRAIN-HEALTH officials have vowed to track down and punish traders who illegally transport uncovered meat in open trucks, exposing their customers to health risks including the potentially fatal E.coli virus.A new law that would grant authorities power to seize food transported dangerously and prosecute those responsible is now on the cards, the GDN learnt yesterday.Public health director Dr Khairya Moosa said the existing law, a toothless bill passed in 1975, meant offenders only received a warning letter and a BD20 fine.She said the outdated law posed a major obstacle for health officials trying to improve the standards of food transportation - adding that it was an "old problem" they had been trying to solve "for years". "The punishment is too small and does not act as a deterrent so people keep repeating the offence," she said.Dr Moosa revealed the Health Ministry was now in the process of drafting new legislation that would criminalise the practice."We are hoping this will happen soon so that we are able to better generate awareness about such issues," she added.Dr Moosa revealed details of the new law after being shown a GDN photograph of a pick-up carrying dozens of uncovered carcasses on Al Estiqlal Highway, in Sanad, yesterday. "This is unacceptable and not the way to transport meat," she said."We have been carrying out several inspections, but have to live with several constraints like the lack of enough inspectors - besides the current law, which is 33 years too old."Meanwhile, she urged members of the public to report traders who put people’s health at risk by violating food safety standards."If they spot anything suspicious, they should report it to the ministry hotlines immediately," she said."We assure everybody that immediate action will be taken once we receive any report of a violation. "Anyone who finds anything different in their food or detects anything amiss should immediately contact us on the hotline number or the food control section."The 18-hour hotline number is manned by experts and can be reached on 39427743, from 7am to 1am.Meanwhile, the food control section is available on 17288888."It could either be a bad smell in the food or the taste could not be right, people may notice a freezer not being properly operated or food being sold in the open," added Dr Moosa.