Catering companies use cutting-edge solutions to serve 12 million Hajj meals

Catering companies use cutting-edge solutions to serve 12 million Hajj meals
File photo of meals being handed out to pilgrims. (SUPPLIED)
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Updated 02 June 2025
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Catering companies use cutting-edge solutions to serve 12 million Hajj meals

Catering companies use cutting-edge solutions to serve 12 million Hajj meals
  • 380 companies work in concert to feed millions of pilgrims during the pilgrimage
  • Caterers try to maintain food safety, nutritional quality and operational efficiency under pressure

MAKKAH: As Saudi Arabia gears up for another Hajj season, an intricate web of preparation is unfolding across Makkah, in which catering services are a critical backbone of the operation.

The Kingdom’s comprehensive approach to serving Islam’s pilgrims combines early strategic planning, seamless inter-agency coordination, and technological innovation to ensure millions can perform their sacred duties safely and comfortably.

Officials have unveiled the scope of this year’s food service operation: 380 catering companies working in concert to deliver up to 12 million meals during the pilgrimage.

The service is a logistical challenge that extends far beyond simply feeding crowds — it is about maintaining food safety, nutritional quality and operational efficiency under extraordinary circumstances, alongside the smart transition to electric cooking in the kitchens of the holy sites, contributing to improved food quality, enhanced safety, and reduced environmental risks in one of the greatest rituals of the Islamic world.

Mohammed Al-Sharif, who heads the association responsible for catering at Makkah’s holy sites, emphasized the government’s commitment to pilgrim welfare.

“The leadership has spared no expense in serving the guests of pilgrims,” he said, noting the direct oversight provided by Makkah’s municipal authorities.

The preparation process has been methodical and intensive. Six planning meetings addressed potential obstacles and elevated service standards.

He explained that the meetings were held to assess preparations, address obstacles, and tackle challenges in a way that contributes to raising the quality of services provided.

Al-Sharif highlighted the productive partnership with the ministry of health in establishing comprehensive food safety oversight systems. This collaboration has resulted in extensive training programs for quality control supervisors at all catering companies.

These preparations involve simulation exercises by catering contractors, carried out in the presence of security personnel and regulatory officials, as stress tests for the entire food service system.

The virtual trials are designed to identify and resolve any potential operational weaknesses before the pilgrimage officially commences.

He also noted that the municipality in Makkah, in cooperation with the ministry of commerce, verified food stocks and confirmed their readiness.

He concluded his statement by emphasizing that all agencies are working at full capacity to provide the best services to pilgrims.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ibrahim Al-Saini, who owns catering companies, confirmed that preparations are proceeding at full pace, emphasizing the efforts of all relevant authorities to provide the best and finest services to pilgrims and working day and night for their comfort and care for their food.

“The conditions during Hajj differ fundamentally from the rest of the year,” he said, highlighting the distinct operational requirements between different phases of the pilgrimage — from the Day of Arafat and Muzdalifah to the extended period in Mina.

He pointed out that the Kingdom, under the leadership of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, continues to develop the Hajj system year after year, whether through distributing locations to Hajj companies in studied ways, or through improving crowd management mechanisms and organizing traffic flow, which reflects on service quality and pilgrim safety.

Al-Saini described the process of providing food and drink as a “major challenge,” but the new systems that allowed food preparation in advance in model kitchens in Makkah and later transporting it to the holy sites for cooking and serving directly contributed to improving meal quality and distribution efficiency.

Al-Saini highlighted developments witnessed in kitchens at the holy sites, where kerosene gas was replaced with electric cooking, leading to improved safety levels and cooking speed, and reducing environmental and health risks.

He praised national efforts to serve pilgrims, confirming that the repeated successes achieved each year are the fruit of advance planning, integration between different agencies, and continuous commitment to innovation in providing the best services to pilgrims.


Saudi Shoura Council speaker participates in Rome conference

Saudi Arabia's delegation was headed by the speaker of the Shoura Council, Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Asheikh. (Supplied)
Saudi Arabia's delegation was headed by the speaker of the Shoura Council, Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Asheikh. (Supplied)
Updated 20 June 2025
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Saudi Shoura Council speaker participates in Rome conference

Saudi Arabia's delegation was headed by the speaker of the Shoura Council, Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Asheikh. (Supplied)
  • Event aims to build bridges, promote mutual understanding

ROME: The Second Parliamentary Conference on Interreligious Dialogue — titled “Strengthening Trust and Embracing Hope for our Common Future” — has started in Rome, with the participation of the Saudi delegation headed by Shoura Council Speaker Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Asheikh. The event is being attended by heads of parliaments from around the world.

Lorenzo Fontana, the president of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy, praised the body’s significant and vital role, stressing the importance of the conference in building bridges and promoting mutual understanding.

 


Pesticides workshop held in AlUla

The workshop targeted farm owners, agricultural workers, and those interested in the sector. (SPA)
The workshop targeted farm owners, agricultural workers, and those interested in the sector. (SPA)
Updated 20 June 2025
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Pesticides workshop held in AlUla

The workshop targeted farm owners, agricultural workers, and those interested in the sector. (SPA)
  • The workshop was part of a series of different guidance programs and workshops implemented by the National Center for Palms and Dates throughout the year in many regions of the Kingdom

ALULA: A workshop, titled Safe Handling of Palm and Date Pest Pesticides, was held on Friday in the AlUla Governorate. The event, which was organized by the National Center for Palms and Dates, in collaboration with the Royal Commission for AlUla, took place in the agricultural sector of the commission’s headquarters.

The workshop targeted farm owners, agricultural workers, and those interested in the sector. It aimed to raise awareness about safe pesticide use while enhancing efficiency in agricultural pest control in a way that improves production quality while ensuring environmental safety.

The workshop was part of a series of different guidance programs and workshops implemented by the National Center for Palms and Dates throughout the year in many regions of the Kingdom. They bid to support the agricultural sector’s development and enhance sustainability practices.

 

 


KSrelief distributes shelter aid in Somalia’s Togdheer region

The assistance comes as part of a 2025 initiative to distribute shelter aid to displaced persons in the African country. (SPA)
The assistance comes as part of a 2025 initiative to distribute shelter aid to displaced persons in the African country. (SPA)
Updated 20 June 2025
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KSrelief distributes shelter aid in Somalia’s Togdheer region

The assistance comes as part of a 2025 initiative to distribute shelter aid to displaced persons in the African country. (SPA)
  • The assistance will be distributed in cooperation with the UN World Health Organization to 45 healthcare facilities in northwestern Syria, based on field-identified needs

TOGDHEER: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center recently distributed 1,030 pieces of clothing, 475 shelter bags, and 20 tents to several camps in the Togdheer region of Somalia, benefiting 1,525 families and 9,150 individuals. The assistance comes as part of a 2025 initiative to distribute shelter aid to displaced persons in the African country.

Earlier, three relief trucks provided by the Saudi aid agency arrived on Wednesday in the town of Sarmada in Syria’s Idlib governorate, carrying 20 tonnes of medical aid.

The assistance will be distributed in cooperation with the UN World Health Organization to 45 healthcare facilities in northwestern Syria, based on field-identified needs. The aid supports frontline medical teams in underserved areas, benefiting about 150,000 people.

Elsewhere, the agency distributed 3,000 cartons of dates to families in need in the Shabwa governorate of Yemen, benefiting 18,000 individuals.

 


Masam Project achieves massive success in Yemen

Masam Project achieves massive success in Yemen
Updated 20 June 2025
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Masam Project achieves massive success in Yemen

Masam Project achieves massive success in Yemen
  • KSrelief has implemented 3,438 diverse humanitarian projects across 107 countries, valued at over $7 billion, since its launch in May 2015

RIYADH: Masam, a project launched by the Saudi aid agency KSrelief, has achieved a significant milestone by clearing 67,585,167 sq. meters and removing 500,000 explosives from Yemeni lands since its launch in June 2018.

Items removed include anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, unexploded ordnance, and explosive devices indiscriminately planted to harm civilians.

Demining efforts have dramatically reduced casualties — and allowed displaced people and farmers to return and resume cultivation — earning widespread praise from the UN and international organizations.

The agency has also initiated the Artificial Limbs Centers Project in several Yemeni cities, providing prosthetics and aiding physical rehabilitation to those injured by explosives.

The Masam Project stands as a vital contribution in enabling a safe and dignified life for Yemenis.

KSrelief has implemented 3,438 diverse humanitarian projects across 107 countries, valued at over $7 billion, since its launch in May 2015.

 


Saudi foreign minister arrives in Istanbul for OIC meeting

Saudi foreign minister arrives in Istanbul for OIC meeting
Updated 20 June 2025
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Saudi foreign minister arrives in Istanbul for OIC meeting

Saudi foreign minister arrives in Istanbul for OIC meeting

ISTANBUL: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, arrived in Istanbul on Friday to take part in the 51st session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

The high-level meeting, to be hosted by Turkiye, will see foreign ministers from OIC member states convene on Saturday to discuss avenues for strengthening joint multilateral cooperation, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The agenda also includes deliberations on regional developments and their broader international implications, SPA added.

The gathering comes amid heightened tensions across parts of the Islamic world, with participants expected to address key geopolitical challenges and reaffirm the OIC’s collective stance on pressing issues.