Authorities have seized more than 182,000 expired and counterfeit food and consumer goods from Makkah, Madinah, Muzdalifah, Mina and Arafat during the Haj season.
An official from the Ministry of Commerce and Investment (MCI) said that the seized goods were not in conformity to the standard specifications.
The ministry launched an inspection campaign before the Haj season to ensure adequate availability of quality consumer goods for pilgrims.
The official said raids were conducted at the holy sites, where the shops and outlets were mostly frequented by pilgrims. The plan also included intensive inspection of jewelry and precious metals shops, gas stations and auto workshops. The ministry’s plan also covered mobile shops, commercial refrigerators and food trucks.
Within the sacred areas, the inspection teams destroyed more than 5,000 consumer goods that included expired pastries.
During the inspection tours, a total of 4,609 commercial fraud violation were registered for perfumes, around 1,000 commercial fraud cases for consumer goods such as shoes and spectacles of famous brands and around 60,000 consumer goods, including expired food items.
The official said the seized items and the shop owners have been booked for violating the anti-fraud regulations.
The ministry has urged consumers to register complaints or inquiries by dialling the toll free number, 1900, or through the smartphone application “Commercial Report.”

Source: Arab News