JEDDAH, 21 February 2008 — In a city as humid and warm as Jeddah, storing food properly takes on an added importance; food spoils quickly in the tropics.
The downtown district of this coastal city is filled with food warehouses; some are legal and some aren’t.
The daily newspaper Al-Eqtisadiah reported recently that the lack of adequate monitoring by officials has led to the problem of unregulated food-storage facilities filled with not only expired food, but also vermin and filth.
“Temperature is the most important factor that affects the safety of food,” said Hamdan Al-Maliki, a nutritionist at King Fahd General Hospital.
“Temperature contributes to the growth of microbes. Humidity is another very important factor for storing foodstuffs because moisture plays a role in nurturing harmful microbes and poisoning food,” he said.
Al-Maliki said his hospital regularly treats people suffering from dysentery and other food-related ailments.
Bacteria such as e coli are the most common culprits, causing some 80 percent of all cases, according to Al-Maliki.
Amoebic dysentery, caused by food and liquids contaminated with a species of single-cell protozoa, is a type of food poisoning that causes the most commonly associated symptoms: diarrhea, fever, nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite.
Bacteria and viruses in foodstuffs can cause even flu-like symptoms, like congestion and fever. Many people don’t associate these symptoms with what they eat.
Bashir Abu Al-Najm, director of the Department of Licensing and Trade Control at the Jeddah Municipality, says that local officials are making efforts to eradicate soiled food from the market.
“The municipality destroys any foodstuffs that are found improperly stored,” he said. “It also imposes fines — a minimum of SR5,000 — for improperly storing food. The fine can be much higher, depending on the quantity of improperly stored food.”
Al-Najm said that the municipality works with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs to strengthen the inspections system.
