700 chefs ready to cater for pilgrims

MAKKAH: More than 700 chefs are preparing themselves to cook for more than 2 million expected Hajjis this year.

Shaker Al-Harthi, the head of the National Committee for Food and Nutrition, told Arab News that more than 700 Saudi chefs will be ready to meet the pilgrims’ needs for food, regardless of their nationalities.

He said that an agreement was signed between the chefs’ association and the National Committee for Food and Nutrition to take care of the food and nutritional needs of all pilgrims, and highlight the importance of food safety.

He said that one of the objectives of the committee is to prepare studies on the state of the market, make recommendations to the relative authorities, and also to set standards and follow up on the developments of the sector.

“We have an appropriate mechanism to find healthy food at the lowest cost,” he added.

Manal Hosawi, a chef at Al-Shohadaa Hotel told Arab News that local chefs have had enough experience to deal with all requests from around the world.

“We run the kitchens and basically we are aware of the different cultures, so it is a matter of education, knowledge and experience. Some pilgrims want to stick with their traditional foods and we are working hard to make their food they are familiar with,” she added.