By Muhammad Aslam
MAKKAH AL-MUKARRAMAH, Jun 3 (APP): Determined to maintain quality and hygiene, the Pakistan Hajj Mission (PHM) is conducting regular and periodic inspections of catering companies’ kitchens, responsible for providing three meals a day to Pakistani pilgrims who have arrived to perform their religious obligation of Hajj under the government scheme.
Accordingly, Director (Hajj) Makkah Faheem Afridi on Monday visited the kitchen and different stores of a caterer company, out of the nine, preparing breakfast in suburbs of Makkah for Pakistani pilgrims.
A total of nine catering companies have been employed to fulfil the food demands of approximately 70,105 pilgrims under the government scheme, out of which more than 52,691 have so far arrived in Saudi Arabia via 205 flights, since the start of the month-long pre-Hajj flight operation on May 9.
The PHM, the director told APP, was implementing an effective mechanism to ensure food quality, with continuous oversight during food preparation and round-the-clock monitoring of kitchens by Pakistani food coordinators.
Even after preparation, he said, the quality and quantity of food are rechecked upon arrival at the residential buildings and hotels where the mission has arranged accommodation for pilgrims, official sources told APP.
The daily menu includes both Pakistani and continental cuisines, and the mission has kept the meal timings flexible to avoid rushes, Faheem Afridi said, adding “There are currently three types of feedback mechanisms in use, including a digital app that has received 437 food-related complaints, all of which have been promptly addressed. Complaints registered manually have also been resolved by the official concerned.”
In the event of violations, he said, penalties were imposed on catering companies without discrimination. “There have been a total of 13 penalties imposed on eight catering companies so far, most of which were aimed at improving food quality,” the director remarked.