RIYADH – The Ministry of Commerce and Industry recently closed down five factories in Riyadh after discovering violations in the production lines and noncompliance with the necessary conditions. The ministry discovered that actual production and commercial sale of products started without obtaining final licenses from the ministry. The factories used chemical raw materials from unknown sources and the owners claimed that some of their products have medical benefits. The ministry's supervision teams also seized unlicensed food products. They found some of the factories to be disorganized. The industrial facilities did not abide by the commercial data and information. The committee for looking into industrial violations at the ministry issued a number of administrative penalties against the violating factories depending on the kind of violation. By implementing these measures, the ministry aims to activate its supervision roles on the industrial sector and improve the industrial environment in the Kingdom. This has come after the ministry carried out inspection tours of over 25 factories in Riyadh. The tours resulted in summoning the owners or managers of these factories to investigate them on the violations. The activities of the factories that were closed down included manufacturing plastic pipes, paints, perfumes, cosmetics and chemicals. They also included unlicensed food products processing factories. The ministry stressed that it will continue to carry out its inspection tours of commercial and industrial facilities to ensure that they are operating according to the regulations and that there are no deceptive practices or cheating of consumers. The ministry will also ensure that factories do not take advantage of the high demand for products by selling and marketing expired and rotten items. The ministry stresses that it will not be lenient in implementing penalties on violators and factories that resort to cheating consumers. It said it will issue stern measures against factories that pose consumers' health to danger. The ministry calls on consumers to file their complaints and observations at the reports center in the ministry by dialing 1900.
