Inspection teams from the Ministry of Trade and Industry raided a warehouse in Al-Zulfi province where they discovered large quantities of rotten rice and flour with worms and insects due to poor storage conditions.

The seized food items were destroyed to prevent them from being sold in the market while the ministry summoned those involved for investigation and subsequent punishment.

The ministry acted following a tip off by a citizen who reported having bought rotten flour crawling with worms and insects. Following a tour of the site, the inspection teams seized over 200 bags of flour and large quantities of Egyptian rice which had gone bad and were unfit for human consumption.

The inspectors found that the food was stored in humid conditions and the packing was faded due to being left in the sun for a long period of time.

The ministry stressed that it will not tolerate any violations of laws related to food which could seriously compromise the health of consumers. It urged citizens to report any irregularities to the complaints center by calling 1900.