JUBAIL: A truck loaded with 400 boxes of frozen and rotten chicken, which were to be distributed across Jubail markets, has been seized and destroyed by the Royal Commission for Jubail (RCJ).

Ahmed Al-Harkan, director of the RCJ’s Possessions Department, said: “This shipment was seized during the intensified inspection campaigns implemented by the department before Ramadan to ensure the quality and safety of food items and other goods.”

He said the poultry shipment was sent by the supplier in an improper environment as temperatures during the transportation exceeded 12° Celsius, even though the public health system states that shipments of frozen food should be maintained at -18° C.

Al-Harkan said that this negligence doubles the bacterial activity and poisons the food. Accordingly, the whole quantity was destroyed through coordination with relevant authorities.

The official said that the RCJ’s Possessions Management is keen to apply the regulations strictly against violators of the public health system.