Lebanon army confiscates a large quantity of expired food products

The Lebanese army have confiscated large quantities of expired food products in Central Bekaa Valley and arrested a number of people.

According tolocal media the Lebanese army stormed late Thursday a food factory in Qab Elias, where three workers and their supervisor where caught forging the expiry dates of the food products.

The products were said to be canned food, pickles and soft drinks.

In Lebanon all food products must be labeled with the actual production and expiration dates. Unlike Europe and the US , codes are not acceptable in Lebanon.

Last week over five metric tons of expired foodstuff was also confiscated by the Consumer Protection Directorate (CPR) in the Ministry of Economy .The food was stored by a Lebanese company and included 3660 kg of ham, luncheon meat, salami, and chicken escalope, 640 kg of butter, 420 liters of cream and cooking cream, 600 kg of cheeses, 60 kg of pizza sauce, and 42 boxes of cheesecake.

Last month the Lebanese cabinet agreed to form a commission to coordinate between relevant institutions on managing problems related to food safety.

The commission is headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri and includes ministers Hussein al-Hajj Hassan, Mohammad Safadi, Ibrahim Najjar, Ghazi Aridi, and Apraham Dadayan

Hariri stressed that those compromising food safety would be punished.

Hariri also called on the media to deal seriously with the food safety issue and expose all facts about any spoiled food products found in the country .