ISLAMABAD: Under the supervision of the Pakistan Hajj mission, thirteen catering companies are providing food to pilgrims under a government scheme, ensuring quality and safety standards at every step, Pakistan’s chief food coordinator in Makkah said on Monday.

This year, Saudi Arabia reinstated Pakistan’s pre-pandemic Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims and scrapped the upper age limit of 65. About 80,000 Pakistani pilgrims are expected to perform the pilgrimage under the government scheme this year, while the rest will use private tour operators.

“Thirteen catering companies are providing meals to pilgrims under a government scheme,” Muhammad Farooq Haider, Pakistan’s chief food coordinator in Makkah, told Arab News in a phone interview.

“We have placed a highly effective mechanism to ensure the quality of the food, with continuous vigilance by Pakistani volunteers during food preparation and round-the-clock monitoring in the kitchens.”

“67 Hajj volunteers are running the food sector and dedicated teams check the quality of the food, including ingredients, spices, and all materials used in cooking,” Haider added.

Even after preparation, the quality and quantity of the food were rechecked once they arrived at the residential buildings and hotels where living arrangements for pilgrims have been made by the Hajj mission.

A complaint resolution mechanism had also been set up, Haider said, to incorporate feedback from pilgrims, and surprise visits to kitchens and mess areas of residential buildings were being regularly carried out.

In the event of violations, penalties were imposed on catering companies “without discrimination.”

“We have imposed a fine of 43,000 Saudi riyals on eight companies for various violations, such as delays in providing food, food shortages, serving undercooked and unripe food, and misconduct by catering staff,” Haider said.

To minimize issues faced by pilgrims due to insufficient dining space in residential buildings and hotels arranged by the Hajj mission, Haider said pilgrims were allowed to take food to their rooms to avoid long queues.

“We have made the food timings flexible to avoid rushes, and we have also provided food parcel facilities,” he said.

“Extraordinary efforts are made to reduce the number of complaints related to food. We have established a network for checking food in each sector through Pakistani helpers and volunteers, organizing clusters in sectors.”