Saudi authorities seize huge rotten food haul

Saudi officials have seized more than 300kg of rotten food in Makkah, it has been reported. The haul was picked up in the holy city’s Ajyad district and included poultry, vegetables and other foodstuffs, according to the Saudi Gazette. The municipality raided restaurants and warehouses near the Grand Mosque and discovered that they did not meet health standards. The outlets in question received fines of between SAR10,000 and SAR20,000 (US$2,700 and US$5,300). Director of Ajyad municipality, Abdul Aziz Al-Saqabi, said that inspections have been intensified to ensure the safety of visitors making Islamic pilgrimages. He added that many restaurants were unhygienic and preparing food in an unsanitary manner. As a safety measure, teams were created to perform surprise inspection visits to a range of locations, including malls, groceries and restaurants. Last February, authorities in the industrial town Yanbu detected an outbreak of bacterial contamination that spread to 45 restaurants.