RIYADH: Officers of the Riyadh municipality have shut six shops and removed food items from more than 40 others which were selling items such as tea, corn, and other uncovered food stuffs. The sites were in violation of regulations and standards of hygiene. Some were operating without permits or selling spoiled meat.

The municipality organized campaigns in which inspectors in all specialties participated. The campaigns covered facilities linked with public health issues and those operating under regulated permits.

Abdullah Al-Tayyar, head of one of the branches of the municipality, said the inspection campaign were intensive and would continue in the Al-Thumama region because of large numbers of picnickers who frequent the area. “The aim is to closely inspect the quality of food stuffs offered to people and to compel the shops to comply with the public health hygiene standards,” he explained.

He said there had been 19 visits during which the inspection teams issued 18 citations, closed down six shops, recorded 68 violations, and suspended 47 workers.

In addition, he said, about 58 kg of unhygienic food stuffs and 30 home appliances not fit for use were confiscated.

Some facilities were found not to have the necessary legal permits. Rotten meat from unknown sources was confiscated in addition to expired food items and six vehicles selling baleelah, or boiled chickpeas.

In a related matter, inspection teams in the Madinah Secretariat have discovered shops in the Aarwa neighborhood operated by a group of Asians selling chicken, meat and other food stuffs from unknown sources.

The undersecretary for sub-municipalities and suburbs, Hamza bin Jaafar Sabieh, said the inspection teams had become suspicious of one particular house and when it was searched, it was found to be a storage place for chicken, fish and meat from unknown sources.

Abdul Samad Suhaimi, director of Field Control, said when the inspection teams searched the first site they found a basement and a number of rooms used for storing foodstuffs from unknown source.

“Fines were slapped and the items seized and destroyed. A number of shops received citations for violations. The teams also found some Asian workers in the same area who were storing empty vegetable cartons in their accommodation. Two of the workers were referred for further investigations and about 600 cartons were confiscated by the Aqiq municipality,” he said.