The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has closed down a confectionery factory in Makkah for using spoilt material not suitable for human consumption. Inspectors also found large amounts of glucose that were past the expiry date and being used in the production lines.

The ministry has since called the factory officials for further investigations.

Inspectors found that the hygiene and storage levels at the factory were below standard.

Goods were kept in unsuitable storage areas, and inspectors caught illegal expatriates working in the premises. Some employees did not have health certificates authorizing them to work in the factory.

The confiscated materials include 1,080 bags of tofu, 20 bags of sweets, five cartons of candies, 48 containers of assorted confectioneries and six cartons of Turkish delight. All these goods were well past their expiry date, and were later destroyed.

The ministry, in a statement, said its inspection teams will conduct raids on all factories and commercial stores across the Kingdom to ensure quality and validity of manufactured goods.

Inspections are aimed at guaranteeing the safety and health of consumers by ensuring that harmful products do not reach the markets.