The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has warned companies and merchants against publishing promotional ads before getting them endorsed by the authorities concerned. The Ministry has issued the warning to protect consumers from being exploited and misled and also to verify the credibility and genuineness of the price cuts shown in advertisements. In order to tighten control on the markets during Ramadan when the demand for foodstuffs dramatically increases, the consumer protection administration at the Ministry has assigned more field inspectors to inspect markets round the clock throughout the holy month. It has increased the number of anti–commercial fraud inspectors at the Ministry's headquarters and its branches in the Kingdom's different regions to 240 inspectors as compared to the usual 60 inspectors. Dr. Abdulalli, Director of the Anti-Commercial Fraud Administration at the Ministry has called upon foodstuff exporters and dealers to refrain from promoting bogus brands and strictly abide by the Kingdom's specifications and standards. He said the Ministry will strictly enforce the law against anyone caught exploiting the season and tampering with prices, warning that the Ministry will penalize owners of violating companies and merchants. The Customs Department has already classified exporters according to their records, he said. Those with clean records will be given priority in clearing their shipments and goods as a token of recognition of their honesty and abidance by rules, he said. __
