Rojava residents face threat of food poisoning with minimal government product supervision
QAMISHLI, Syria — Residents of northeast Syria (Rojava) are facing the threat of food poisoning, with expired or improperly packaged goods flooding the market and minimal government supervision over the products.
In Qamishli, one of the few places with a quality control unit inspecting shops every day, five tons of expired goods are confiscated in the city every month.
“We went to a restaurant and found one to two expired goods. We found the source, which was a warehouse on Kornish road. We went there and it had a large amount of expired goods,” said Sami Khdir, a member of the inspection committee.
However, even with the authority’s oversight, nearly 450 people were poisoned in the city last month, according to local hospitals.
Especially in areas with no quality control staff, traders exploit the gap and bring expired products into the market.
While some residents say they regularly check the expiration dates, other say they do not or can not.
“I am illiterate and I don’t know if they are expired or not,” Abdullah Ismael, a customer in Qamishli, told Rudaw on Monday.
Reporting by Vivian Fatah
Translation by Sarkawt Mohammed
In Qamishli, one of the few places with a quality control unit inspecting shops every day, five tons of expired goods are confiscated in the city every month.
“We went to a restaurant and found one to two expired goods. We found the source, which was a warehouse on Kornish road. We went there and it had a large amount of expired goods,” said Sami Khdir, a member of the inspection committee.
However, even with the authority’s oversight, nearly 450 people were poisoned in the city last month, according to local hospitals.
Especially in areas with no quality control staff, traders exploit the gap and bring expired products into the market.
While some residents say they regularly check the expiration dates, other say they do not or can not.
“I am illiterate and I don’t know if they are expired or not,” Abdullah Ismael, a customer in Qamishli, told Rudaw on Monday.
Reporting by Vivian Fatah
Translation by Sarkawt Mohammed