First ‘Food Truck’ fruit and vegetable market in Saudi Arabia

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

AL-KHOBAR — The Eastern Province Municipality has inaugurated the first innovated mobile “Food Truck” for selling fruits and vegetables, amid the precautionary measures being taken to curb the spread of novel coronavirus COVID-19 infection and also ridding the crowding of customers at centers for selling foodstuffs.

The objective is to provide safe shopping from one’s vehicle without the need to get down to purchase these needs. The initiative gives the opportunity to Saudi youth to sell their products, according to high hygienic and health standards, at the points of sales.

The Head of Al-Khobar Municipality Eng. Sultan Al-Zaidi said that this innovated quality market started operating on Friday. It is situated on an area of 6,500 sq. meters in the parking lots of the “Iskan Square” Park in southern Al-Khobar. The utilities have been named after the various fruits.

Eng. Al-Zaidi said that the market comprises 12 sales points in air-conditioned cabins. The municipality has coordinated with the Saudi young men who own “Food Truck” coaches to benefit from the project.

He said that the municipality is providing an investment opportunity to these Saudi young men to sell their products including fruits and vegetables to the beneficiaries, who can purchase their needs while driving by in their vehicles.

Both the citizens and expatriates will not have to take the trouble of getting down from their vehicles for their purchases.

Eng. Al-Zaidi said that the municipality prepared the site for the market, placed the signboards and a sufficient number of containers, apart from providing 10 workers for cleaning the area during working hours of the market daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Health supervisors from the municipality are always available at the location. The security and safety supervisors are also available at the site to ensure compliance with all the health conditions.