RIYADH, 30 December 2002 — The Ministry of Commerce has tightened restrictions on the trading of adulterated and expired food items in the Saudi market.
The ministry also called on Saudi importers and manufacturers to follow strictly the directives of the ministry in this regard. The new move follows the seizure of quantities food products and goods, which were sent for lab tests after it was found that they violated local laws, Islamic ethics and Saudi standards.
Saleh Ibrahim Al-Dubyae, general manager of the Riyadh Food Factory, said here yesterday that strict application of regulations has dissuaded many local traders from indulging in malpractices. “I think only a few out of the total 10,503 trading companies in Saudi Arabia must be involved in such malpractices,” he said, adding that this kind of nefarious business is prohibited in Islam.
Referring to the growth of the food market, he said Saudi consumers have high purchasing power. The chances to dupe customers with sub-standard products in the Kingdom are minimal, said Al-Dubyae, adding that the locally made food products conform to SASO standards which define the appropriate level of quality.
It may be only a few trading houses, which dump adulterated or sub-standard products on the market, he added.
He said local food factories are not known to indulge in food adulteration. His own Riyadh Food Factory, an ISO 2002 entity, conforms to all Saudi specifications and standards. It manufactures a range of food products such as jelly, custard, yeast, pudding, cake mixture, powdered drinks and flour products.
