Hebron – Ma'an – Palestinian officials confiscated 50 containers of expired olive oil and a significant quantity of expired produce in downtown Hebron, according to the Committee of Local Market Officials on Thursday.

The committee, consisting of various Ministry of Economy departments including the Department of Consumer Protection and the Economic Department of the Palestinian security police, conducted an investigation into the produce sold in Hebron markets to ensure that groceries were consumable for the Eid Al-Adha holiday, the committee told Ma’an.

The committee added that they will further investigate all Hebron markets on Thursday to guarantee the Palestinian consumer is not at risk of consuming perished produce.

The inquiry follows a long line of similar inspections conducted across the West Bank where large quantities of expired goods have been confiscated by the Ministry of Economy. Palestinian market places have been plagued with olive oil deemed unfit for consumption as a result of the poor olive harvest of 2009. During its weekly cabinet meeting, the caretaker government in Ramallah established a committee to explore the feasibility of importing olive for the expected deficit in Palestinian markets.