المملكة: The Kingdom reviews food and control techniques in the International Forum “IHFAF”

His Excellency the CEO of the General Authority for Food and Drug Administration, Prof. Hisham bin Saad Al -Jalti, headed the body of the body participating in the sixth annual meeting of the International Forum of Food Control Authority (IHFAF).
In the Chilean capital, Santiago, will be held from April 9 to 11, with the participation of a number of food supervisory authorities from different countries of the world.

Promote food products

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the Authority, participated in the chairmanship of one of the forum’s sessions under the title: “Apply artificial intelligence and modern technologies in food control bodies.”
During the session, the commission reviewed its efforts to adopt modern technologies in examining and controlling food, and this was affected by raising the compliance rate of quality standards, which reflects positively on public health by enhancing the safety of food products in the market.
The forum sessions dealt with the importance of digital transformation in the food sector, as well as reviewing possible ways to take advantage of artificial intelligence applications and modern technologies in the food control authorities with the aim of raising the efficiency of inspection and control operations.

Food safety

The sessions also discussed the axis of best practices in reporting risks and managing information in light of the rapid technical development, to ensure the quality and safety of food products.
The participation of “Food and Drug” in this international forum comes as a continuation of its efforts in enhancing cooperation with the global counterparts, and an affirmation of its pioneering role in exchanging experiences and knowledge, and consolidating its position as a reference control in the field of food safety.
The Food and Drug Authority is one of the institutions of the International Forum for the heads of the Food Control Authorities (IHFAF), whose first meetings were launched in Riyadh in 2020, with the aim of uniting global efforts towards enhancing the safety and quality of food.

651 inspection rounds

The Food and Drug Authority carried out 651 inspection rounds during the month of February 2025 AD, which resulted in the seizure of 50 violating establishments and 61 varieties of products that do not conform to the regulatory regulations.
This is part of its continuous commitment to ensuring the safety of food and pharmaceutical products, and to ensure that they comply with the approved standards.
The tours resulted in the closure of a facility that stores banned products, unregistered pharmaceutical preparations, unlikely cosmetic products, distributed them in the markets, and the liberalization of 64,163 violating products.