Saudi and expatriate street vendors are selling expired and poor quality food, juices and other products in Haraj Al-Sawreekh in south Jeddah, posing a health risk to consumers, reported Al-Madina Arabic newspaper on Friday. The trading is particularly brisk at the weekends when many poor and working class families seek bargains to save some of their hard-earned cash. These families are more concerned about quantity than quality. The dim lighting in the area makes it difficult for consumers to read the expiry dates on the packaging of the food and other products. In this area of Al-Haraj, almost all the products found in large supermarkets are available, from noodles to packages of rice. The vendors appear to operate with impunity, apparently out of the reach of municipal inspectors. It is quite common to see vendors roaming the area, particularly in parking lots, selling their expired commodities to shoppers. Yousif Al-Ghamdi, a shopper, said there are hundreds of vendors who roam the market selling their “so-called fresh juices”. He said consumers do not know the ingredients of these juices. He said most of these items are unhealthy. Vendors target children who like the color of these drinks. “I need not mention that these products pose a great danger to public health, especially for children who have weaker immune systems than adults.” Muhammad Al-Ameri, a shopper, said the government must be held accountable. “I blame the government agencies that are involved in overseeing the market especially the Ministry of Commerce. There are also no municipal inspectors at the market. The inspectors should regularly inspect these areas to confiscate and destroy these products that endanger the lives of consumers.” Ahmad Maber, a member of the Anti-Commercial Fraud Committee at the ministry's branch in Jeddah, said the committee's inspectors regularly inspect the market and confiscate substandard products. The ministry has destroyed many tons of products unfit for human consumption. He said most of the vendors are illegal aliens including African women. They continue to trade despite being fined between SR5,000 and SR10,000 and having their goods confiscated and destroyed.
