Saudi Arabia: Jeddah authorities destroy 40 tons of ‘unsafe’ Ramadan meals
Health authorities in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah have confiscated and destroyed 40 tons of Ramadan meals in Umm Al-Salam in a building that was used as a warehouse to prepare and store pastries and desserts.
It came as part of the municipality’s efforts to improve the urban landscape and counter health violations, and monitor standards in commercial and health institutions, contributing to the safety of both citizens as well as visitors.
Inspection teams searched a building in the Al-Mahameed neighbourhood and found that the food stored there was processed near restrooms. The inspectors also discovered expired items and insects, in addition to poor levels of hygiene and unsatisfactory food storage practices. While the meals were destroyed, legal procedures were also soon taken to close the site.
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The municipality expressed its appreciation for the cooperation of citizens and residents towards improving services by filing reports and complaints using the Baladi application or through the unified centre by dialing 940.
In another development, as part of the Ramadan 2023 food distribution project, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) has distributed over 44 tons of food aid packages around the world, including 12 tons in Glazoue, Benin; 19 tons in Tetovo, North of Macedonia; 7.8 tons in Jakarta, Indonesia; and 6.3 tons in Skenderaj, Kosovo.
While 1,900 food packages were distributed among needy families in Sudan, Chad, and Ghana, the centre also distributed 1,450 shelter bags in Pakistan’s Sindh Province.