Environment: 6281 inspection tours of markets and slaughterhouses before Ramadan
As part of the intensive preparations to welcome the holy month of Ramadan, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture announced the implementation of a large-scale monitoring campaign under the slogan “Markets and Slaughterhouses Readiness”, which aims to ensure the highest standards of food safety and the availability of high-quality agricultural and animal products for consumers in all regions of the Kingdom.
A strategic context for enhancing food security
These proactive moves come as part of the Kingdom’s strategy to enhance food security and improve the quality of life, which is one of the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. The month of Ramadan usually witnesses a significant increase in consumption rates and demand for fresh food products and meat, which necessitates raising the state of alert among regulatory authorities to ensure the smooth flow of supply chains and prevent the circulation of any products unfit for human consumption, and to protect consumers from commercial fraud or health risks.
Details of inspection tours and violations
The ministry revealed statistics from the campaign carried out by its field teams, which included 6,281 intensive inspection tours with the participation of 428 judicial officers. These meticulous efforts resulted in the detection of 1,475 violations and warnings, reflecting the firm enforcement of health and regulatory requirements in the markets.
In the interest of public health, the inspection teams destroyed large quantities of spoiled food that were seized before reaching consumers' tables, including:
- 19,936 kg of unfit vegetables, fruits and dates were destroyed
- Confiscation and destruction of 1,605 kg of meat and poultry.
- 727 kg were destroyed .
Strict veterinary procedures in slaughterhouses
Given the anticipated surge in demand for red meat during the holy month, the Ministry paid special attention to slaughterhouses. The report indicated that a total of 111,322 head of livestock (sheep, cattle, and camels) underwent veterinary inspection. To ensure the meat was disease-free, veterinary teams implemented rigorous examination procedures, resulting in:
- 970 carcasses were completely destroyed because they were unfit for consumption.
- Partial condemnation of 10,041 carcasses , by excluding only the infected parts according to approved veterinary standards.
Laboratory control and environmental sustainability
The efforts were not limited to visual inspection, but extended to include advanced laboratory tests to detect pesticide residues in agricultural products, where 658 samples were examined, and the results proved that the vast majority of them conformed to standard specifications, with the exception of only 5 samples that were dealt with according to the system.
In a gesture reinforcing the concepts of sustainability and charitable work, the campaign witnessed fruitful collaboration with the non-profit sector, with the participation of 23 food preservation associations. This collaboration contributed to saving 16,189 kg of food fit for consumption, thus helping to reduce food waste and promote social solidarity during the holy month.
