MADINAH — The Agency of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Prophet's Mosque has set several conditions to offer Iftar services for fasting people in the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah, in preparation for the upcoming holy month of Ramadan 1444 AH. The Agency required that the permits and commercial register of the catering contractors in the Hajj and Umrah must be valid to be able to receive requests. The space and area of the facility in the affiliated facilities should not be less than 600 square meters. Every facility must have a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), in addition to licensing 3 refrigerated food transport vehicles as a minimum, and equipped with 4 stainless steel trolleys for each vehicle. The conditions also included the importance of providing experience in the field without any related notes affecting the quality of the product and service. The agency said that designated and equipped sites for packaging should also be provided, with an area of no less than 65 square meters, in addition to the importance of having a meal preparation headquarters in Madinah. The agency also confirmed that Iftar service providers in the Prophet's Mosque are allowed to distribute meals themselves or through catering companies. While it has noted that the distribution of Iftar meals, which is through catering companies, will only be for those who will be licensed by them in accordance with the requirements specified in the permit and conforming to the general specifications approved by the Food and Drug General Authority. It is necessary for Iftar service providers to update their data through the agency's website after receiving the data update request messages via text messages. They must also adhere to the times, locations and quantities specified for them in the permit.
