KUWAIT CITY, Nov 25: A team from the Kuwait Municipality branch in the Capital Governorate will conduct an intensive inspection campaign in food shops and warehouses on Monday, in coordination with the ministries of Interior, Commerce and Industry, and Kuwait Fire Service Directorate (KFSD), reports Al-Shahid daily quoting team leader Tareq Al-Qattan.

Al-Qattan said a large quantity of spoilt food products are currently sold in the market and some are stored in different warehouses, particularly in Shuwaikh that is known as the center for selling expired food items and Subhan in which many food factories are located.

Disclosing that the received information from reliable sources on the sale of spoilt food products in Sharq and some stores in private residential areas, Al-Qattan stated the Municipality branch in the Capital confiscated 40 tons of spoilt food products earlier. He said a Jordanian, who works for a prominent personality in Kuwait, is purportedly behind the distribution of these products to the local market.

Meanwhile, the Arab man, who reportedly owns the store in which the Kuwait Municipality confiscated 31 tons of expired foodstuffs last week, is said to have left the country at 3:00 pm on Tuesday, reports Al-Rai daily quoting sources.

Sources revealed the Municipality discovered food items, including meat, oil, olives, coffee and water that expired 10 years ago from the store. Sources said several violations have been issued against the Arab earlier when the Municipality inspected three other stores that he owns.

Asked why the Arab was allowed to leave the country despite his violations, an official from the Municipality branch in the Capital Governorate, who was part of the inspection team which discovered the spoilt items, said they do not have the authority to arrest the owner of the store, file a case against him or refer him to the Public Prosecution. He explained the only thing they were allowed to do was to issue a citation against him. He added Ministry of Interior officials were present when the team raided the store, indicating they could not lay hands on the trade license or rent agreement, which would have led to the arrest of the owner as they obtained information on the owner only from the Asian storekeeper.