Food Authority and Interior Ministry: Destruction of 3.548 Tons of Unfit Food Products
The Public Authority for Food and Nutrition and the Ministry of Interior seized a food facility and destroyed spoiled food, in addition to arresting 27 suspects for forging dates on imported fish.
Translated by Qiyas from الوسط — Original source
As part of the General Authority for Food and Nutrition’s efforts to strengthen oversight of food establishments and protect consumer health, the Authority, in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior’s General Directorate of Criminal Investigation, seized a food establishment trading in rotten and unfit meat and fish, alongside tampering with fish expiration dates and handling food in unsanitary conditions.
The operation resulted in the destruction of 3 tons and 548 kilograms of food unfit for human consumption, the issuance of violation reports, and the closure of the establishment. The Authority reaffirmed its commitment to continuing its inspection campaigns and taking necessary legal action against violators to safeguard consumer health and safety.
In a separate development, the Ministry of Interior’s General Directorate of Criminal Investigation, represented by the Counter-Counterfeiting and Forgery Crimes Department, arrested 27 suspects involved in tampering with the expiration dates of imported fish. This action was part of ongoing security efforts to combat commercial fraud and protect consumers.
In a statement, the Ministry of Interior said the arrests followed intelligence and investigations that revealed the suspects were altering production and expiration dates on boxes of imported fish by printing labels with false dates, aiming to extend shelf life and sell the products to restaurants, companies, and retail stores.
It explained that, after obtaining authorization from the Public Prosecution, specialized teams moved to the Central Fish Market, where the suspects were arrested and 16 refrigerated transport vehicles containing 894 boxes of imported fish with tampered expiration dates were seized, along with a computer used to prepare and print counterfeit labels.
The suspects confessed upon confrontation that they had altered expiration dates contrary to the truth, with the assistance of a printing company. The Ministry noted that subsequent visits to the offices of two other companies linked to the case revealed they were merely registered addresses with no actual commercial activity. The Ministry confirmed that the suspects and seized items have been referred to the competent authorities to take the necessary legal action against them.
