RIYADH , 27 July — Saudi Arabia has imposed a temporary ban on imports of soft drinks and chicken products from the 15 European Union (EU) member states for containing synthetic hormones harmful to humans, the Ministry of Commerce said yesterday.
The Kingdom also maintained a ban on the import of beef and cattle meat from the EU due to concerns over the mad cow disease epidemic that has troubled Europe in recent years.
The official SPA news agency said Commerce Minister Osama Faqeeh ordered the suspension on the basis of health reports indicating that the products contained substances that cause cancer and impotence.
The ban covers all carbonated cold drinks and all chicken products.
Saudi Arabia also blacklisted two companies from Ireland and Belgium for manufacturing banned industrial hormones.
Faqeeh said the ban was imposed in light of a Royal Decree, which directed the authorities that precautionary measures be taken against import of suspicious products dangerous to human health.
Informed sources told Arab News that no meat consignments will be cleared unless accompanied by valid certificates of conformity. Meat of animals fed by artificial fodder such as hormones, fat and animal leftovers will not be allowed in, they added.
Scientific tests have disclosed that 15 EU countries including Belgium, Italy, Holland, Germany, France, Spain and Ireland use steroid hormones as animal fodder and in beverages. These hormones cause cancer and impotency.
Hussein Al-Adel, secretary-general of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Arab News that measures would be taken to protect the rights of Saudi importers if the consignments exported did not comply with Saudi standards and did not have valid conformity certificates.
The Saudi action comes after Belgium banned import of German food products contaminated by nitrofen, a cancerous substance. Other European countries were also considering similar steps as Berlin failed to clarify nitrofen reports to allay consumer fears.
In a related development, the Commerce Ministry has urged all Saudi businessmen and importers to abide by the ban on the import of all types of chocolates, candies and dairy products from EU states following reports that they contained substances that would cause mad cow and foot-and-mouth diseases.
The United Arab Emirates recently imposed a ban on Kit-Kat chocolates manufactured in Britain as they contained milk that is likely to cause mad cow disease.
The ministry has also imposed a temporary ban on imports of all forms of beef and mutton from African and Arabian Gulf countries, Syria, Jordan, Yemen, Pakistan and China.
