In Al-Zuwaitini social gathering here, people meet and socialize to discuss different issues. Most people who attended a recent gathering complained about the hike in food prices, especially in that of meat?s price. Reda Al-Zuwaitini recommended that cattle should be sold after being weighed alive, as is the case in Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Several people said the Ministry of Commerce should set a unified price for one kilogram of meat. Hassan Maqlam agreed that there should be a unified price, adding that the Ministry of Agriculture and other relevant ministries should participate in procedures to set the price. He also called on the Ministry of Commerce to monitor prices through undercover teams. Abdullah Abu Ouf, who was sitting in the gathering, said prices for sheep were now unacceptable. ?I went to the sheep market two days before Ramadan but I didn?t buy any because prices were astronomical,? he said. Abdul Sattar Sheqroon added, ?Sheep prices are very high because the Ministry of Commerce is not controlling prices. It only controls the prices of frozen meat sold at supermarkets. Most people prefer to go to the sheep market to buy meat instead of buying frozen meat. So what?s the use of having a unified price for frozen meat that only few people buy?? Hesham Zakour talked of other concerns about sheep. ?Moreover, the sheep market is full of sick sheep that are not good for human consumption,? he said. ?Many people find out about this after they have the sheep slaughtered at the slaughtering house. The Mayoralty should have regulations for selling animals and force sellers to comply with regulations and refund buyers for sick sheep.? Maqlam Al-Hilali pointed out that while sheep prices are high, they have not changed at some restaurants and maybe that?s because they are buying unhealthy meat. ?The high prices of sheep should be a warning for us that we should not buy meals containing meat from restaurants,? he said. ?The price of sheep has hit SR2,000 while some restaurants sell one kilo of kabab for only SR40, which is low.? He cited a restaurant in Madina that was caught selling the meat from sheep that were taken to be slaughtered after they were dead. __
