Nada Al-Maddah Saudi Gazette MAKKAH – Municipal inspectors Monday seized more than 400 kilograms of rotten dates and dried fruit from various stores near the Grand Mosque in Makkah. Nawaf Al-Hazmi, director of foodstuffs department in Ajyad Municipality, said some of the products were improperly stored while others were of unknown origin, he added. Inspectors check the production dates of packed dates and dried fruit and seize goods without labels showing their origin, Al-Hazmi said. Store owners are required to keep invoices of vegetables they purchase in bulk to ensure products have not been stored for lengthy periods, the official explained. The inspectors also seized boxes of dates that had stickers with fake expiry dates and shut down the factory whose name appeared on the stickers. Abdul Aziz Al-Saqabee, director of Ajyad Municipality, said inspection visits Monday focused on dates in shops near the Grand Mosque to protect the health of Umrah pilgrims and visitors to the holy city.
