The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has rejected a claim from a well-known dairy company that it approved the company reducing the size of its milk packs while keeping the price the same. The dairy company had claimed the ministry allowed it to decrease its 200 milliliter (ml) packs to 180 ml without cutting the cost. An official source at the ministry denied any contact between the ministry and the dairy companies in this regard. He disclosed that Abdul Rahman Al-Abdul Razzaq, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce for Consumer Affairs, has written a letter to the companies concerned saying: “I would like to inform you that the ministry has noticed that a number of manufacturers, traders and importers have reduced the weight and volume of several consumer commodities' packs while keeping the prices of these commodities at the (same) level. This undoubtedly harms the consumer.” In his letter, the ministry's undersecretary stressed the need for dairy companies to coordinate their decisions with the ministry's agency for consumer affairs prior to reducing the weight or volume of any commodity. They should also get written approval from the ministry before taking such steps. The Saudi Gazette reported Monday that some companies had reduced milk content in SR1 bottles from 200 ml to 180 ml without reducing the price. __
