All Pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia for the 2025 Hajj would be served culturally quality meals and nutritious foods under strict monitoring system put in place for contracted catering facilities in Madinah.
This was disclosed by the head of the Commission’s Medina Feeding Committee, Alhaji Abdullahi Kabir, during an inspection tour of the seven catering outfits commissioned to feed over 17,000 Nigerian pilgrims who have already arrived in the holy city.
In a statement released by the Committee’s Public Affairs Officer, Malam Ahmad Muazu, Kabir said over 17,000 pilgrims from Nigeria have already arrived in Medinah for the 2025 Hajj, stressing that the NAHCON has implemented its oversight responsibilities to ensure quality in its feeding system.
According to him, a wide range of inspections has been carried out to ensure quality control measures beginning with the assessment of food ingredients to ensure they meet strict nutritional standards before preparation.
Kabir said every packaged food item from spices to preserved goods have been and are being scrutinized to ensure that they are not expired, even as the NAHCON has zero tolerance for expired food items and corruption.
Beyond that, NAHCON has mandated the exclusive use of natural ingredients, strictly banning artificial flavour enhancers and preservatives to preserve the nutritional value and authenticity of meals.
“Additionally, inspectors verify strict adherence to NAHCON’s mandate for natural ingredients, prohibiting artificial flavour enhancers and preservatives that could compromise the nutritional value or authenticity of traditional Nigerian dishes,”;; Kabir emphasized.