JEDDAH, 12 January 2007 — Municipal inspectors seized contaminated meat of more than 8,500 cows and sheep that were slaughtered by pilgrims during Haj. The meat was destined for restaurants in Jeddah and Makkah, according to Naser Aljarallah, the head of the municipal abattoir regulatory agency.
Though sacrificial meat is supposed to be distributed among the needy, often people pretending to be poor collect the meat from the holy site of Mina during the Haj and sell it to intermediaries who then re-sell to eateries. Because this exchange happens within the informal economy, most of the time the meat is handled in an unhygienic manner.
Aljarallah said the municipality set up inspection points on all roads leading to Jeddah and seized 325 vehicles stacked with beef and lamb destined for Jeddah restaurants. Vehicles carrying expired meat are impounded and the drivers fined.
City officials said they have set up special inspection teams this Haj season to check for spoiled sacrificial meat.
He said that they also formed monitoring groups to tour the restaurants and butcheries to ensure the quality of meat they received during the Haj. He added that he expects more quantities of spoiled meat to be seized in the coming weeks.
He noted that all the impounded meat was disposed of in the city dump in a proper manner that would ensure public hygiene. He urged residents to contact the municipality’s complaints number 940 to report any violations.
