JEDDAH, 18 August — The Commerce Ministry, which has intensified its fight throughout the Kingdom against fraudulent trade, is questioning a Saudi trader for allegedly distributing a large quantity of out-of-date powdered milk for babies through a number of outlets across the country.
Atiyya Al-Zahrani, acting director of the ministry’s office in Jeddah, told Arab News that his office had initially telephoned the owner of a warehouse distribution center, where the contaminated milk tins were being stored, to find out more about both their source and their sales outlets.
The trader, it later emerged, had stored tins of legal milk powder with illegal ones, in order to make it more difficult for ministry officials to detect the malpractice.
The officials eventually seized 2,931 cartons of milk after carrying out a raid on the warehouse, situated in south Jeddah.
The warehouse was staffed by expatriate workers, but was Saudi owned.
Al-Zahrani has said that the ministry will impose fines of up to SR100,000 on traders involved in commercial fraud.
Another ministry squad led by Abdullah Al-Sufyani has seized 7,000 bottles of imitation Vaseline and fake creams with labels of well-known brand names while inspecting shops that sell cosmetic products.
In Taif, the ministry’s officials confiscated 24,000 bottles of banned Spanish olive oil after raids in the towns of Turba, Hazma and Raniya.
They also confiscated more than 300 tins of tuna unfit for human consumption, in addition to 1,200 bottles of juice and dairy products.
Dr. Khaled Al-Bayahi, director of environmental health in Alkharj, near Riyadh, said the department’s team has confiscated 395 tons of foodstuffs including 117 tons of fruit and vegetables, after inspecting 34,128 shops. They also found 10,720 bottles of juice and other beverages that were being sold despite the fact that they had past their expiry dates.
The municipality closed down 57 shops and fined 663 others for violating Saudi health standards.
