BEIRUT: Health Ministry inspectors confiscated Saturday large quantities of food distributed to Syrian refugees in south Lebanon after receiving complaints that they were emitting foul odors.
The food packages, which were donated to Syrian refugees through the Rahma and Ouzai charity centers in Sidon, were confiscated for testing, while Abu Faour referred the case to the judiciary.
Separately, the minister sent the ministers of finance, economy and public works a letter to demand the confiscation of large amounts of sugar stored in Tripoli’s port.
The request was based on skepticism that the sugar met safety standards.
Health Ministry experts had already gathered samples for testing, Abu Faour explained to the ministers, asking them to hold the products until the test results are revealed.
Abu Faour also asked Economy Minister Alain Hakim to confiscate 500 tons of sugar that was banned from entering Syria, and to prevent its sale in Lebanon. The move would be temporary until the samples are tested and verified.
The news comes after Health Minister Wael Abu Faour earlier this month toured the port’s warehouses where he discovered massive quantities of expired sugar being stored in sub-standard conditions.
The minister said sugar storage rooms in the port were in “disastrous condition,” littered with garbage, dust and rats, while portions of sugar were expired, while other portions lacked expiration date labels.
Most of the sugar consumed in the Lebanese market enters through Tripoli’s port, according to Abu Faour.
The minister, who represents the Progressive Socialist Party in the Cabinet, had been carrying a nation-wide crackdown on food safety violation since last November.
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