RIYADH, 8 July  — The Ministry of Commerce announced yesterday that it was suspending imports of Spanish olive oil following reports that it could contain carcinogenic substances, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Quoting a ministry statement, SPA said the authorities also decided to withdraw Spanish olive oil already in the market and carry out tests on cancer risks posed by the alleged presence of this substance.

“As per directives of higher authorities to protect consumer health, we have ordered the ministry’s labs at entry points not to release any Spanish olive oil consignment,” the statement said.

The Spanish Health Ministry issued a “food safety alert” on Tuesday following the discovery of a carcinogenic substance called benzopyrene in a particular brand of olive oil. The Spanish government has also taken precautionary measures to prevent circulation of olive oil containing the fatally dangerous material.

The Saudi ministry said the ban on Spanish olive oil imports was slapped temporarily as a precautionary measure, adding that olive oil requirements of the market would be met from other sources.

It said the ministry would pull out Spanish olive oil from local groceries and supermarkets and keep it in warehouses until tests are completed. “The laboratory in Riyadh has been authorized to take samples of the oil from the market and send them to the Research Center of King Faisal Specialist Hospital for further tests,” it added.

The ministry has called on the chambers of commerce and industry in the country to inform all traders about the move.

Health Minister Dr. Osama Shubokshi told Al-Madinah newspaper that his ministry was also conducting tests on samples of Spanish olive oil, adding that the process would take two weeks to complete.

 

Safety watch hiked on rest houses

By Saad Al-Matrafi, Arab News Staff

MAKKAH, 8 July  — Due to an increase in the number of accidents including drowning cases this summer, the Civil Defense Department has intensified safety surveillance on rest houses, especially those with swimming pools, in the Makkah region.

The department has spread its teams to areas such as Al-Sharaya, Al-Awali, Al-Mughamas and Al-Shumasy where the rest houses are mainly concentrated.

Col. Saud Al-Kabkabi, Civil Defense chief in Makkah, said he had found out that many rest house owners do not respect safety rules set out by the Civil Defense for swimming pools.

“If a rest house includes a swimming pool, it must employ a licensed trainer-guard and provide various equipment and accessories to ensure safety,” said Col. Kabkabi.

Brig. Salem Marzoug, of Ajyad Civil Defense unit, said rest houses failing to comply with the safety rules would be given three warnings before finally ordered to close down. He said many of the rest houses were found to be violating the rules in different ways.

“The most common offense was their failure to employ a trainer-guard, who will ensure users’ safety at the swimming pools,” added Brig. Salem.

There are also a number of rest houses which are difficult to locate because they have not been registered with the real estate authorities. “Most of them come to surface only when an accident occurs,” said the officer.

Brig. Salem said in the event of an accident at a rest house swimming pool, the owners would be held responsible if the facility failed to comply with safety regulations and would be asked to pay compensation to the victims.

“Both parties will be taken to a court of law and the Civil Defense officials will present their view on the accident,” said Brig. Salem.

Even when a victim or his family agrees to forgo compensation in case of an accident, for which the rest house owner was found to be responsible, the Civil Defense will impose a fine on him for failing to comply with the regulations. “The fine may go up to SR100,000,” said Brig. Salem.

Rest house owners say many people who rent their facility do not want a trainer-guard present because they prefer total privacy.

“It is a dangerous decision. People must not do this even if they are good swimmers; the trainer should be asked to stay near the pool for their own safety,” said Brig. Salem.