27 July 2010
KUWAIT: With Ramadan only two weeks away, the Ministry of Health (MoH) officials responsible for managing Kuwait's only food safety inspection laboratory have been accused of picking a particularly bad time for relocating the facility, with work being suspended for a three-week period while it is transferred from Sharq to Kaifan. No alternative food-testing facility has been provided for the interim period, meaning that there is no way of assessing the large quantities of foodstuffs coming onto the market for the upcoming holy month to check whether they are fit for human consumption.
Abdul Ghaffar Boland, the Deputy Director of the Kuwait Union for Foodstuff Producers and Traders, told Al-Anba that no food products are allowed onto the market in Kuwait without the retailers first providing laboratory certificates proving that the products are fit for consumption.
Also in Ramadan, he explained, many of the special products sold specifically for the annual event have a short shelf life, creating more problems for retailers as it is difficult to store these items until the food safety laboratory has issued its findings on them. This certification process is currently suspended, however, he said, with a number of the items likely to expire while in storage, increasing retailers' costs.
Boland criticized the Ministry of Health (MoH), saying that it should have either postponed the laboratory's relocation until after Ramadan or ensured that an alternative facility was provided before closing the lab, and insisting that its choice to close the food testing facility at this time is simply unacceptable.
The senior traders' union official also criticized the ministry's choice of site for the relocated lab, saying that its new location in Kaifan will endanger the health of local residents, given the pollutants that such facilities emit. He also alleged that the new laboratory building is not sufficiently equipped or of a high enough standard to serve as a food-testing facility.
Meanwhile, a senior Cooperative Society official has criticized the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for failing to act against the "clear manipulation of the prices of sugar." Yousef Dashti, the CEO of the Jabriya Cooperative Society, accused traders of deliberately increasing the price of this basic commodity ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, which features an increasing demand on food items.
The MCI should "accept its responsibility and hold the greedy traders to account for their irresponsible actions," said Dashti, speaking at a press conference held after the launch of an exhibition of Kuwaiti women's homemade handicrafts, reported Al-Rai.
Emphasizing the Co-op's commitment to combating any attempt to increase the prices of basic commodities, Dashti indicated that the co-ops take their lead in pricing strategies from the decisions of the Kuwait Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies' (KUCCS) price monitoring committee.
KUWAIT: With Ramadan only two weeks away, the Ministry of Health (MoH) officials responsible for managing Kuwait's only food safety inspection laboratory have been accused of picking a particularly bad time for relocating the facility, with work being suspended for a three-week period while it is transferred from Sharq to Kaifan. No alternative food-testing facility has been provided for the interim period, meaning that there is no way of assessing the large quantities of foodstuffs coming onto the market for the upcoming holy month to check whether they are fit for human consumption.
Abdul Ghaffar Boland, the Deputy Director of the Kuwait Union for Foodstuff Producers and Traders, told Al-Anba that no food products are allowed onto the market in Kuwait without the retailers first providing laboratory certificates proving that the products are fit for consumption.
Also in Ramadan, he explained, many of the special products sold specifically for the annual event have a short shelf life, creating more problems for retailers as it is difficult to store these items until the food safety laboratory has issued its findings on them. This certification process is currently suspended, however, he said, with a number of the items likely to expire while in storage, increasing retailers' costs.
Boland criticized the Ministry of Health (MoH), saying that it should have either postponed the laboratory's relocation until after Ramadan or ensured that an alternative facility was provided before closing the lab, and insisting that its choice to close the food testing facility at this time is simply unacceptable.
The senior traders' union official also criticized the ministry's choice of site for the relocated lab, saying that its new location in Kaifan will endanger the health of local residents, given the pollutants that such facilities emit. He also alleged that the new laboratory building is not sufficiently equipped or of a high enough standard to serve as a food-testing facility.
Meanwhile, a senior Cooperative Society official has criticized the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for failing to act against the "clear manipulation of the prices of sugar." Yousef Dashti, the CEO of the Jabriya Cooperative Society, accused traders of deliberately increasing the price of this basic commodity ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, which features an increasing demand on food items.
The MCI should "accept its responsibility and hold the greedy traders to account for their irresponsible actions," said Dashti, speaking at a press conference held after the launch of an exhibition of Kuwaiti women's homemade handicrafts, reported Al-Rai.
Emphasizing the Co-op's commitment to combating any attempt to increase the prices of basic commodities, Dashti indicated that the co-ops take their lead in pricing strategies from the decisions of the Kuwait Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies' (KUCCS) price monitoring committee.
© Kuwait Times 2010
