Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Supervisory teams from the Ministry of Commerce have beefed up their field inspection of markets and sales outlets in the regions of Makkah and Madinah during the holy month of Ramadan.

The inspections, being carried out in cooperation and coordination with the relevant authorities, are aimed at verifying whether commercial establishments are complying with consumer protection regulations or not. The monitoring is also part of the ministry’s seasonal plan to ensure the availability of stocks of basic foodstuffs and essential commodities to meet the needs of consumers, as well as to secure any required increase through suppliers, and take regular measures against any violations of demand and supply equations.

The supervisory teams intensified their inspections along the roads leading to Makkah and Madinah during the Umrah season to follow up on service centers, fuel stations, car tire and oil shops, and markets for precious metals and precious stones, and others, with the aim of ensuring that commercial establishments comply with the ministry’s regulations.

The supervisory teams also verify the validity of promotion offers and discounts, whether price tags are there on products, besides ensuring the quality of goods and products and their conformity with specifications and standards.

Before the start of the holy month of Ramadan, the ministry carried out proactive tours to follow up on the abundance of basic Ramadan commodities in the markets and sales outlets, to ensure their validity, to monitor any fake, misleading or unlicensed offers, and to apply legal action against such violations.

The ministry urged all consumers to report any complaints or observations by calling the ministry’s Communications Center at the toll free number (1900) or via its Balagh Tijari app.