Major General Mohamed Abou Shadi, president of the Internal Trade Sector at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, revealed that the campaigns carried out by his sector last week led to the seizure of 32.7 tons of expired food products which did not conform to specifications and were not suitable for human consumption. More specifically, he said the products were manufactured chickens, meat slaughtered outside abattoirs, honey, sugar, coconut, 8,390 pieces and boxes of various food products, 83 pieces of chocolate, 14.4 liters of cooking oil, 650 liters of juice and 170 yogurts. As for non-food items, he pointed out that the seizures included 16.35 tons of plastic chemicals, 112,000 meters of plastic hoses for electricity, 10,000 pens, 792 car spare parts, 725 electrical products and other products of unknown source not conform to specifications, with no country of origin written on them and with no document indicating their origin. Meanwhile, the Governorate of Giza carried out yesterday a broad campaign which led to the destruction of five tons of rotten meat (bowels of animals and wastes of birds) at Shabramant sanitary burning ground. Their sellers were referred to the Public Prosecution. This meat would be used to produce hawawshy [typical popular Egyptian food], hamburgers, shawarma and sausages. Giza Governor Sayed Abdel Aziz said two unlicensed butcheries have been seized in the areas of Ard el-Liwa and Imbaba. Their owners sold minced meat unfit for human consumption after adding colorants to it. The governor decided to shut down the butcheries, switch off their utilities and refer their owners to the Public Prosecution.
Dr. Sayed Gad al-Maula, chief of the Directorate of Veterinary Medicine, said that a person has been arrested on charges of packing expired chickens and re-writing its data in an unlicensed butchery in the area of eastern el-Omraniya.
He pointed out that the accused used a printing machine and inks to write the new data on the sacks, then packed the chickens. He then added that the prosecution decided to keep the accused in custody for four days and to destroy the seized chickens.
He added: "A place in the quarter of Agouza [Cairo] has been seized that prepared take-away meals for the employees of investment companies and major banks although it had no license. It used expired minced chickens and other kinds of meat. 350 kg have been confiscated which were ready to be used".
"During the campaign, the meat inspection department at the Directorate has seized two tons of meat slaughtered outside abattoirs as well as rotten meat in butcheries in different areas of the governorate" he went on to say.
