QUNFUDAH, 3 October 2006 — Ramadan is a time for fasting, but it is also the peak season for buying food. Because so many people pick up food at eateries and stroes to bring home for iftar, this is also the time of the year when the media pay particular attention to shops breaking food safety regulations.
Shopkeepers are deceiving costumers and selling rotten edibles during Ramadan — sometimes even at excruciating prices, according to Al-Madinah newspaper.
Investigations have also exposed a lot of dirty business in unsanitary kitchens.
Shopkeepers take advantage of customers’ ignorance and the last-minute rush to buy food to sell items that are unfit for human consumption. Many costumers have complained about this.
Opinions differ about what actually precipitated the problem. Some customers blame people who consider Ramadan a month for food and shopping for the undesirable situation.
Others say shopkeepers are tempted to do such things because of a lack of supervision and therefore urge the municipality and the responsible authorities to increase health and safety checks to punish those who break the law. They say local officials must not only set rules and regulations for food outlets, but must also ensure that the regulations are implemented for the safety of everyone.
There are still others who believe that health education regarding balanced and healthy food habits must begin an early age.
Ahmad Al-Munshary said that people tend to buy items such as dates, milk derivatives and pastries during Ramadan. “Some families check the dates of the products, but there remains a large number of shoppers that do not bother to check. This drives some store owners to put outdated products on the shelves,” he said.
Omar Aidarouse said, “It is unreasonable to check on each and everything we buy. The municipality has to do this, not us.” He added that the municipality must set strict rules and punish storeowners that break them.
Aidarouse suggested that it would be a good idea if shopkeepers placed soon-to-expire food products on separate shelves to make it easier for customers. “People with low incomes would buy these products especially if the stores discounted the prices,” he said.
Abdullah Asiri said that it was very sad to see people hurrying and rushing to buy food. “People gather in supermarkets and stores to buy necessary and unnecessary foodstuffs. Rather than relaxing the stomach during this one month, it is getting rather swelled,” he said.
Muhammad Eisa Al-Salami said that supermarkets and food stores get crowded in Ramadan with people buying different kinds of foodstuffs. “It just seems that we do not eat except in Ramadan. Normally we buy foodstuffs every week, and we should do this in Ramadan too, so that the food does not get thrown away in garbage,” he said.
He also added that supermarkets tend to use different techniques so as to attract costumers. However, he said these offers do not deceive him anymore.
Al-Salami advises families to make a list of what they need before going to the market so as not to lose money on unwanted stuffs. He also said that people have to donate the extra food they have to those in need, because this will rather make them happy.
Imad Musa Al-Shiri said the prices of foodstuffs increase in Ramadan. Furthermore, storeowners tend to use Ramadan to rake in profits and get rid of old stock.
Sheikh Ibrahim Zuli, a judge in Jeddah, said Ramadan must be a month of worshiping and prayers. “However, people now tend to spend lavishly on food and drink, and this is against the principles of Islam. Further such habits contradict the main aims of fasting which is to get closer to Allah and away from sins,” he said.