(MENAFN - Arab Times) The Kuwait Munic-ipality lacks efficiency and transparency in dealing with traders who sell expired and contaminated foodstuff, reports Al-Anba daily quoting Cooperative Societies Union (CSU) Head Abdulaziz Al-Samhan.
Al-Samhan has appealed for the intervention of HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak and State Minister for Municipality Affairs Eng Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim to correct the food inspection procedures at the Municipality. He wondered why the Municipality has not taken any concrete measures to determine the companies involved in the distribution of food products that are not fit for human consumption.
According to Al-Samhan, the union's request for a license to establish a non-profit laboratory for the inspection of food products has been rejected. He demanded for an explanation from the premier, admitting he cannot find any justification for rejecting the proposal which is aimed at protecting public health. He said the premier should refer the issue to higher authorities, while stressing the need to form a committee to conduct a thorough investigation in this regard.
Meanwhile, the Kuwait Municipality has sent an official letter to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry with a recommendation to cancel the license of a foodstuff company that had imported the 3,000 cartons of Brazilian sausages containing pork fat, reports Al-Watan Arabic daily.
According to the daily the company had already distributed half the quantity into the market before the laboratory tests arrived.
Investigations showed the company had imported the sausages in the mid of the month of Ramadan and the Kuwait Municipality sent samples to the Ministry of Health laboratories to conduct chemical and bacteriological tests and the company signed a pledge to store the product in warehouses until the results tests appeared.
When the Ministry of Health, after three days, sent the test results and said the product was unfit for human consumption because it contained pork fat, a team comprising personnel from the Kuwait Municipality, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry went to the company stores and were shocked to find 1,800 cartons had already been distributed to supermarkets and cooperative societies in various areas.
It was also reported the owners of the company produced the shipping documents and the bill of lading showed the country of origin Brazil and that the sausages were made of beef.
The team then sealed ten stores and confiscated the remaining cartons. The teams also issued instructions to workers in the food sector not to leak the information to the media about the company or the owners until the case is over.
