Taif Municipality said they seized rotten sacrificial meat this week while it was on its way to 800 restaurant kitchens and buffets in the province.

Municipality spokesman Ismail Ibrahim told Okaz, the Arabic language daily newspaper, that the rotten sacrificial meat destroyed was found in a refrigerator belonging to one of the big companies.

The spokesman warned that people who transfer rotten sacrificial meat unfit for human consumption would be prosecuted under deterrent laws and regulations.

Sources said that drivers who smuggle rotten sacrificial meat are only fined between SR 1,000 and SR 5,000 as well as fines applied to the companies that employ them. However, the majority of vehicles belong to unknown companies without any logos.

Ismail said: “Rotten sacrifices had been discovered immediately after opening the refrigerator where it smelled so foul, it did not require a veterinarian to examine the meat. It was only a matter of making it absolutely sure that we got it checked."

Ibrahim added: “The meat was immediately destroyed and the drivers of the refrigeration vehicle were referred to the appropriate authorities for investigation and action.

Commenting on a news item in Okaz published on Monday that warned about eating meat in restaurants during the current month, Ibrahim reassured the residents of the province, saying: “Health observers from the municipality are making the regular field rounds of all restaurants, kitchens and food markets within the city and suburbs and along roadsides to make sure of their commitment to health requirements and control any abuses or irregularities that may affect public health.”

The Al-Bahita checkpoint, which was erected this year, prevented the smuggling of rotten meat of about 700 head of sheep from the holy sites.