More Food Warehouses, Shops Raided as Questioning of al-Natour Brothers Adjourned
More food product shops and warehouses were raided on Tuesday as Beirut’s Examining Magistrate adjourned the questioning of Samih and Suleiman al-Natour.
The Tyre Municipality health commission seized a large quantity of spoiled food during an inspection of shops in the city, the National News Agency reported.
“The spoiled food was destroyed and the owners were fined as all those who are concerned were warned,” head of Tyre Municipality Hassan Dbouq said.
The confiscated goods included canned food, meat, cheese and several other consumer products.
“The Municipality of Tyre will not tolerate (violations) regarding the safety of food,” Dbouq noted.
He revealed that the inspection rounds will be “intensified.”
NNA also reported that the Consumer Protection Directorate with the support of the Internal Security Forces raided a warehouse for A. K. el-Hajj in Burj el-Moulouk town in Marjayoun.
The confiscated products include 30 boxes of expired chicken and meat.
The warehouse was sealed and its owner was referred to Burj el-Moulouk police station for questioning.
Meanwhile, Beirut Examining Magistrate Ghassan Owaidat adjourned until Friday the questioning of al-Natour Brothers, who were arrested on charges of processing and selling spoiled meat and other food products and for the attempted murders of the consumers to whom they knowingly sold expired food.
Arrest warrants were issued against al-Natour brothers and the Ministry of Economy’s Consumer Protection Directorate raided last week the warehouse owned by them in Sabra area in Tarik el-Jadeedah where they confiscated 25 tons of expired meat.
Prime Minister Najib Miqati called for an emergency meeting at the Grand Serail on Wednesday to tackle the rise in the discovery of spoiled food products in Lebanon.
The meeting will be held in the presence of Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas, Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi, Agriculture Minister Hussein Hajj Hassan, Interior Minister Marwan Charbel and high-ranking officials from the general security, the state security, the army intelligence and the customs.
An Nahar reported on Monday the meeting will seek to formulate a mechanism regarding the “safety of food,” and tasking each side to carry out a mission regarding the matter as the Ministry of Economy’s Consumer Protection Directorate can’t cover all the areas in Lebanon.
President Michel Suleiman also slammed the rise of spoiled food in Lebanon, deeming such cases as “unacceptable.”
Recently, the Consumer Protection Directorate raided several warehouses in al-Fanar and Beirut’s southern suburbs that were selling spoiled meet and food product.
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