Jeddah residents have become wary of consuming red meat due to concerns that huge quantities of rotten sheep meat is being sold in shops following the Haj season.

The fluctuating price of meat in local markets across Makkah, Taif and Jeddah has only strengthened the widespread belief that several shops are selling rotten meat smuggled from various regions.

Jeddah’s Municipality announced on Tuesday that it had seized 375kg of sacrificed meat from four houses in Jeddah, besides imposing penalties on 15 restaurants and issuing warnings to 21 others.

It has become common knowledge that restaurants and commercial kitchens used by Saudis and catering companies procure the cheapest available smuggled meat to meet demand.

A leading butcher, who owns a large-sized meat shop in Aziziah, told Arab News: “it is common for the sales volumes of meat to go down for a month immediately after Eid, as many people refrain from purchasing meat for fear of it being rotten.”

However, he clarified that most butchers were deterred from old meat produce due to intense raids conducted by municipal authorities.

A Sudanese cook at a restaurant in Safa said: “Meat dishes and raw meat orders will drop for a month due to consumer apprehension.”

Authorities have been cracking down on the phenomenon of selling sacrificial meat for commercial purposes in the Western Province.

The bulk of slaughtered sheep produce is used in Jeddah mainly by restaurants and catering companies.


The meat is smuggled to Jeddah, Taif and other cities in the Western Province where it is being sold, defeating the purpose of sacrifice in the process.

Asian and African expatriates are often involved in the smuggling and sale of sacrificial meat from Makkah. Authorities set up specialized check points soon after Eid on roads leading to Jeddah and Taif from Makkah to prevent the smuggling of sacrificial meat from the holy city.

Authorities in Jeddah earlier seized six refrigerated trucks that were found to contain sacrificial meat produce and confiscated hundreds of slaughtered sheep on the way to Jeddah.

In Taif, authorities confiscated vehicles and hundreds of slaughtered sheep that were being smuggled from Makkah. Similar reports also came in from Makkah.