'Ministry of Commerce' Urges 'Cooperatives' to Comply with Food Safety Regulations
- Ban on the sale of damaged and expired products in cooperative societies
Al-Siyasa has learned that the Ministry of Social Affairs, represented by the Financial and Administrative Affairs Sector and the Cooperation Affairs Sector, has emphasized the obligation of cooperative societies to comply with the requirements of the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition, in order to ensure product safety and protect consumers.
Sources stated that the ministry confirmed, in a circular addressed to the cooperatives, the necessity of separating food items from detergents and chemical substances in display and storage areas, and designating safe locations for them. It stressed adherence to proper storage and appropriate temperature conditions for chilled and frozen products. The circular also emphasized the prohibition of displaying or selling expired, damaged, or unfit-for-consumption foods, isolating products suspected of being unfit, and verifying the integrity of packaging and the clarity of production and expiration dates.
Al-Siyasa
Al-Siyasa News
Economic News
According to sources, the circular stressed compliance with health requirements in buildings, warehouses, and transport vehicles, as well as maintaining the cleanliness of markets, refrigerators, cutting tools, and packaging equipment. It also called for combating insects and rodents and ensuring the safe disposal of waste.
It emphasized the necessity for workers handling food to hold valid health certificates and prohibited individuals showing symptoms of illness from working.
The ministry, according to the circular, urged against refilling food in ways that expose it to contamination, and banned the trade of products with unknown origins, while retaining documents and invoices that prove their sources.
It also stressed the necessity of obtaining prior approval for trading products that require such approval, and enabling inspectors from the Authority to inspect food, records, and take samples, as well as to implement decisions regarding the withdrawal, destruction, or suspension of the trade of non-compliant products.
