Five tons of rotten meat seized

The Jeddah Municipality has intensified its inspection drive to meet public health standards ahead of the Haj season by randomly checking food outlets and meat facilities in the city.
The municipality confiscated 5 tons of adulterated and rotten meat from a leading frozen meat outlet in the Safa district of Jeddah on Wednesday.
“The stock which was destined for fast food restaurants and catering companies in the city was unearthed after strict surveillance and a secret operation which led to the uncovering of the contaminated and decomposing meat,” Abu Najam, director general of markets control in Jeddah Municipality, said Wednesday.
He said that the imported meat had dried up due to poor storage and was past its sell-by date but the trader had bleached it with chemicals and a dye to make it look fresh and healthy. The trader had also changed the stickers showing the expiry dates of the meat, he added.
The director noted that the trader did not have proper equipment to store the frozen products and many of the workers were without the mandatory health cards issued by the municipality.
Abu Najam said that a case of commercial fraud had been filed against the importer of the meat.
The Jeddah Municipality is also cracking down on sheep pens located to the east of the Haramain Highway.