The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement that its inspectors shut down a workshop this week after discovering operators were manufacturing cakes and sweets with expired and unfit ingredients. The raid uncovered substantial volumes of spoiled dairy products, oils and other materials past their use-by dates being incorporated into fresh batches for commercial sale. All finished goods and raw inputs were seized on the spot and directed for safe disposal while the premises remained sealed pending further investigation. The ministry referred the individuals involved to the Public Prosecution on charges related to food safety violations and consumer deception.
Ministry figures show the action forms part of a sustained inspection drive that issued 35 violation reports during July campaigns in Farwaniya and Ahmadi governorates alone. Those earlier inspections also resulted in the immediate closure of a grocery store found selling state-subsidized food items outside permitted channels. Similar operations have targeted the display of expired cosmetics, goods of unknown origin and unlicensed trading activities across multiple governorates. The latest workshop case underscores the ministry’s focus on manufacturing sites as well as retail outlets.
According to ministry directives, products with shelf lives of three years or longer must be removed from sale 60 to 90 days before their printed expiry dates. Items with two-year shelf lives face a 45-to-60-day removal window while shorter-life goods carry tighter restrictions. These rules aim to stop the type of repurposing of unfit stock that inspectors identified in the raided workshop. The ministry has instructed all commercial establishments to maintain strict expiry controls at every stage of handling and production.
Consumer Protection Department officials within the ministry have stated that shoppers may return near-expiry items provided they present a valid invoice. The department maintains an active channel for reporting suspected breaches that feed directly into inspection planning. Such public input has contributed to the identification of several manufacturing irregularities in recent months. Department data places food-related complaints among the more frequent categories received each quarter.
A related Kuwait Times report drawing on Ministry of Commerce and Industry statistics noted that grocery stores and retailers account for 11 percent of national food waste. Initiatives such as Nemati have partnered with around 50 food companies to redirect safe but near-expiry bakery and confectionery products to registered families for a nominal fee. Roughly 8,000 households currently access these baskets which frequently include sweets and chocolates. The ministry continues to differentiate between legitimate redistribution of safe items and the prohibited use of truly unfit ingredients.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has indicated that enforcement will remain continuous with additional teams deployed to industrial areas where food production workshops cluster. Officials have called on operators to adhere strictly to storage and rotation protocols to avoid repeat violations. Further campaigns are scheduled throughout the remainder of the year with emphasis on sweets and baked-goods facilities following the latest discovery.
