Officials here have been ordered to be on the lookout for smugglers of rotten meat at the country's checkpoints and ports of entry. This is part of police operations every year after Eid Al-Adha because criminals try to sell unsafe slaughtered meat in various Jeddah districts. Muhammad Al-Qarni, acting director of Al-Janoub Municipality, told Al-Hayat Arabic daily that Dr. Hani Abu Ras, Mayor of Jeddah, has issued clear directives for officials to crackdown on violators. Al-Qarni said that 446 inedible dead sheep were discovered at major Jeddah ports of entry. In addition, 39 vehicles were found with 376 slaughtered sheep. A dead camel was also found. The municipality is conducting extensive monitoring to prevent the distribution of such meat, Al-Qarni said. All the rotten meat is sprayed with chlorine and then disposed of in an environmentally-friendly manner. In a tour of some restaurants, Al-Hayat spoke to owners who had been offered rotten meat but had refused to buy it because it was unsafe for human consumption. A senior source at the Saudi Project for Utilization of Animal Sacrificial Meat said that all animals undergo medical tests before being bought and sacrificed. Dr. Mustafa Bayoumi, a nutrition expert, said that eating rotten meat is a health risk. “Rotten meat tends to be dark red in color and stinks. The best way to tell whether it's rotten or not is by soaking it in boiling water. If it stinks then it's rotten.” A number of citizens also expressed their concerns about rotten meat at this time of the year. Mesfer Abdullah Al-Zayed said that he does “not trust meat in the market these days. I prefer to stop eating meat for two months until there is no rotten meat in the market.” Hussain Habash said that he only eats at well-known restaurants at this time of the year because these establishments “don't buy rotten meat”. Saeed Abdullah said that officials should increase their monitoring and inspections to root out the problem.
