Inspectors from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry destroyed 10,000 expired food items and counterfeit products that they seized during visits to various shops at the holy sites.

Authorities destroyed 4,000 pieces of cake, bread, sweetmeat and dried fruit that had gone past their sell-by date.

Several items also did not contain information about their source of manufacture. Destroyed items included 300kg of meat of unknown origin.

Besides food items, inspectors also confiscated 5,538 bottles of shampoo and several imitation glasses of famous brands, mobile chargers and low-quality electrical extension cords.

The ministry plans to beef up market inspection campaigns in Makkah, Madinah and the holy sites this year to ensure that pilgrims get quality good, including safe food items and other consumer goods.

Inspectors will seize and destroy any imitation goods or meals unfit for human consumption and will impose punitive measures against vendors who sell or distribute poor quality items to pilgrims.

The ministry has sent inspection teams to markets, shops and stalls in the central zone around the Grand Mosque, and holy sites and the roads leading to the sites ahead of the arrival of pilgrims.