Egyptian authorities raided a cheese factory last week, which allegedly used lime and paint for walls as one of the main ingredients in products it intended to sell across the country, and were even smuggled through Libya, under the guise of quality old-fashioned cheese.
The plant, located in the city of Tala in the northern province of al-Manofiya, was closed until further notice.
The Egyptian Ministry of Health announced that about 40,500 pieces of counterfeit cheese that was not edible were confiscated in the city area, in addition to five bags of paint and many packaging materials.
تقرر حبس 2 النيابة من مسؤولي مصنع إنتاج الجبن المخلوط بطلاء الحوائط
التفاصيل: Https://t.co/ajisTMnIsl# اوان_مصر Pic.twitter.com/7jpqYYqBJd
- awanmasr (@ awanmasr1) December 21, 2021
Dozens of tons of the cheese, it was reported, were sold in markets and shops at a reduced price, in order to seduce the innocent residents.
At the same time, a warning came out of eating the product.
Hannah Aquila, head of the investigation team, confirmed that laboratory tests did indeed show that lime had been blended into the product to give it its white color, as well as milk from an unknown source and spoiled salt.
It was also reported that the plant operated underground and in complete violation of Egyptian cleaning and sanitation procedures, and that its equipment was dirty and improper.
Real cheeses, Photo: AFP
It was further reported that 13 workers of the factory, located in a secluded area in the city, tried to escape during the raid, but were caught and confessed to the scam.
However, it appears that the factory owner has managed to slip out of the arms of the law and is now set to be wanted.
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