MAKKAH, 23 December 2007 — Many Makkah residents see Haj as a time to improve their financial situations. There are those who buy and sell products and there are those who provide services. Many Makkah families, however, go into the business of selling food to pilgrims. They do not need to rent a special place because they simply turn their homes into restaurants. They often target local Haj institutions and make deals with drivers to deliver food to pilgrims for a specified sum.
Muhammad Fotari, head of the environmental health department at the Makkah Municipality, told Arab News that the department made regular inspections around the year. “We increase our inspections during the Haj and Umrah seasons.”
Fotari said they had closed 50 illegal home restaurants during routine inspections. “We have seen the worst practices. The food was not clean and the cooks lacked basic knowledge of hygiene,” he added.
Abdullah Fadil, an official in the same department, said that finding these illegal restaurants was one of the most dangerous and challenging tasks they faced. “We have to search everywhere to find them,” said Fadil.
He said an Asian national who, along with other workers, was arrested while packing meals for pilgrims in an apartment in Al-Awali district. “We found about SR50,000 with him which he had made from the business.”
Fadil said they did not know where the food came from or whether it was healthy. He said that most of the workers were after money and the health of pilgrims was the last thing on their minds.
Another home-based restaurant, where about 100 workers were working without a health permit, was raided and closed. “They were cleaning chicken in toilet bowls. There was a great lack of cleanliness,” said Fadil.
An Asian cook, arrested by the municipal officials said he prepared Malaysian food at his home in Al-Aziziya district for sale to Malaysian pilgrims.
“Someone living in the same apartment building informed the authorities and they came and closed us,” said the worker. He added that the owner of the building knew about his practices but did not complain because he too was taking a percentage of the profits.
Dr. Mukram Ridwan, from Al-Zahir Hospital, said these practices threatened the health and lives of pilgrims, especially since they could easily result in “deadly food poisoning.”
