Fraud in the sale of meat… and a warning to citizens of a great danger

In a statement, the Secretary of the Butchers and Livestock Traders Syndicate, Majed Eid, thanked the Director General of the Ministry of Economy and Trade, Muhammad Bu Haider, and the Ministry’s Consumer Protection Directorate for the efforts they are making in terms of controlling refrigerated and frozen meat warehouses and the sale of adulterated meat to citizens, the latest of which was announced yesterday.

Warning that the widespread fraud in the sale of imported meat is one of the most dangerous matters to the health of citizens in addition to the financial losses they incur, he pointed out that “this issue requires further prosecution, as the information available to us confirms that the rate of fraud is very large, as about 90% of meat selling points commit fraud by thawing frozen meat, especially Indian meat, and selling it as fresh.”

Eid called on public prosecutors to impose harsher penalties against violators, and not to limit themselves to issuing arrest reports and closing the centers that sell violating meat with red wax for a period of a few days or even hours, especially since these penalties do not constitute a deterrent to these people.

Eid revealed that “the demand for meat during the month of Ramadan this year was high compared to previous years,” noting that “demand increases significantly, especially on the last Friday before Eid and the first and second day of Eid,” expecting that the markets will witness stability after Eid al-Fitr.

Eid explained that “meat prices are still stable.” The price of a kilo of Brazilian meat is about 10 dollars, while the price of European meat ranges between 12 and 14 dollars depending on the location of the point of sale.”