Saudi Arabia prohibits grocery stores from the sale of tobacco, dates, meat, fruit and vegetable

Tobacco, dates, meat, fruit, and vegetables are prohibited from being sold at Saudi Arabian grocery stores, or baqalas. Majed Al-Hogail, Minister of Municipalities and Housing, has released a number of new regulations, including this order. The ruling will go into effect right now. However, a corrective time of no more than six months will be allowed to the current establishments.

The new rules prohibit the sale of dates, meat, fruit, and vegetables, as well as tobacco goods, including traditional and electronic cigarettes, and shisha, at kiosks, grocery stores, and mini-markets. Although the selling of meat necessitates a separate license, all of these products are permitted to be sold in supply stores, or hyper markets.

According to the updated rules, hypermarkets are permitted to sell all of these goods. Additionally, the revisions permit grocery stores, supermarkets, and hypermarkets to sell charger cables and prepaid recharge cards.

Supermarkets must have a minimum floor area of 100 square meters, hypermarkets must have a minimum floor area of 500 square meters, and grocery stores must have a minimum floor area of 24 square meters as per the new rules.