Food inspection campaigns ramps up ahead of Ramadan

CAIRO – 15 May 2018: As the holy month of Ramadan is almost here, the government’s preparations are in full swing for the growing food demand that trails along the annual festivities.

Governmental inspection campaigns and spot-checks have been launched to target food stalls, butcheries and the most popular meat outlets to ensure its safety and validity for the human use.

Also, large quantities of high-quality, reasonably- priced meat have been pumped into the market since meat is traditionally the main dish of the Ramadan breakfast table.

Mohamed Ayman, deputy governor of Cairo, said in press remarks on Tuesday that the governorate permitted several mobile food product stalls to operate normally beside the Armed Forces and Interior Ministry-affiliated stalls.

Ayman added that these stalls are well monitored and are subject to regular intensive campaigns to ensure that the food products they sell comply with food hygiene regulations.

“If any of these stalls is caught selling expired food or invalid goods, they will not be able to run their business on the streets again,” Ayman stressed.

The governmental inspection campaigns also include supermarkets and major food outlets in all governorates; harsh penalties have been imposed on whoever would be convicted with violating food safety regulations.

Annually, Egypt produces 650 thousand tones of meat, and imports 630,000 tons of meat and around 400,000 heads of cattle to cover 35 percent of the local consumption.