JEDDAH: The Administrative Court has issued a ruling revoking the business license of a food company, and sentencing its owner to a fine of SR100,000 and nine months in jail.

Health inspectors found the company had been changing the labels of expired and decayed food in its factories and selling the products in open markets with the intention of deceiving buyers. According to sources quoted by a local newspaper, the court described the crimes a form of commercial fraud that threatens lives.

Regulations indicate that penalties, including cancelation and closure of the store, a prison sentence of between one week and 90 days in prison, and a fine of SR10,000-100,000 can be imposed on those who sell or order the sale of either human or animal food that does not meet specifications.

“In addition, a fine of SR5,000-SR100,000 will be imposed on those who import, produce, print, sell, or trade any food products, cans, or labels with the intention of falsifying or concealing the origin of the product,” said the newspaper. “The items will be confiscated as per regulations.”

During the hearings, the newspaper report revealed that the business owner had denied the charges against him, alleging that the factory collected all expired cans and destroyed them. He said the cans found by inspectors had been collected for the purpose of being discarded and denied that employees were changing them.

However, seven factory employees said in their statements that the owner had requested them to change the expiry dates on the labels and all were doing so according to his directions.

The newspaper reported that the Administrative Court and the Office of the Ombudsman were reviewing the case involving a citizen and Bangladeshi employees after inspectors from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry identified a food company in which employees were changing labels of expired food products.

The employees admitted in investigations by the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution that the labels of expired food products were changed for more than two years and sold to street vendors to sell in open markets.