Saudi Arabia shuts 12 water bottling plants in Jeddah over serious violations
Serious violations posed risks to public health detected
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Commerce has shut down 12 water bottling plants in Jeddah after inspectors uncovered serious violations that authorities said posed risks to public health.
The ministry said the facilities were closed immediately following joint inspection campaigns carried out in coordination with eight government agencies. Those responsible were arrested and referred to the relevant security authorities to complete legal proceedings.
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According to the ministry, inspectors found that the plants were using water from unknown sources in production, extracting water illegally from the public supply network and bottling it in containers belonging to licensed companies without authorisation.
Investigators also found that the operators had used licences for bottled water sales and retail activities as a cover for running full-scale production and bottling lines that failed to meet health and safety standards.
The inspections also uncovered a range of other violations, including commercial concealment, operating without licences, failure to issue tax invoices, breaches of labour regulations and violations related to the public water network.
Saudi authorities said legal action would be taken against those involved, including the imposition of deterrent penalties.
