MCI pointed out that the day of Arafa witnessed an oversupply of food commodities. Large quantities of foodstuffs and consuming items were provided to the guests of the Holy Places. The MCI Inspection Teams had carried out, since early morning, intensive rounds on booths, refrigerated vehicles and roaming cars laden with food commodities to verify the absence of any shortage in the supply and the sellers are committed to the seasonal prices, where more than 15 thousand corrupted and fake food items were confiscated.
MCI emphasized its keenness to follow up the provision of the needs of the guests of the Holy Places, especially the food commodities and made them available in the Holy Sites at reasonable prices, including basic commodities such as bread, where additional quantities were provided through the bakeries in Makkah and Jeddah. Within its operational plan in Hajj, MCI provided large numbers of refrigerated vehicles loaded with food commodities at both Mina and Arafat.
The seizures that were confiscated by the MCI Inspection Teams in the Holy Sites included: 7900 expired food items, unfit for consumption for poor storage and exposure to the sun, such as (pie, cake, bread and juice). In addition, 7427 counterfeit items were detected, such as electrical plugs and connections, mobile chargers in violation of Standards and Specifications, as well as cosmetics for famous brands, toothpaste and expired body powder. All the said quantities were destroyed and 51 Instant violations were recorded on a number of shops and commercial booths.
The Ministry called on all the consumers to report any violation or complaint to the toll-free number (1900).