المملكة: 60 thousand riyals for those affected by food poisoning… and referring those responsible for the death to the Public Prosecution

Adopted The Saudi Food and Drug Authority A strict and unprecedented penalty list targeting food poisoning incidents, imposing immediate financial fines of up to 60,000 riyals for each affected person, without gradual punishment or just warning, while referring those responsible for cases of death or permanent damage to the Public Prosecution, in a firm step to raise safety standards in the food sector.

The new regulation approved the principle of “a fine for each affected person,” and the financial penalties imposed on sales outlets and restaurants range from Between 3,000 and 30,000 riyals for each person infected with poisoning, while these values double to reach between 6,000 and 60,000 riyals when applied to the factories, warehouses, and distribution centers causing the damage.

Penalties escalate based on the type of pathogen and its severity, as those responsible for the disease face Poisoningresulting from “Clostridium botulinum” toxins: The harshest fine in the list, which amounts to 60,000 riyals for each infected person if the source is a factory or warehouse, and 30,000 riyals if the violator is a sales outlet or a restaurant, due to the seriousness of this type of bacterial toxin.

Strict penalties

The regulation included severe penalties in the event of proven presence of pesticide or metal residues. Heavy food or infected people, with fines of up to 24 thousand riyals for each case of damage caused by factories, and 12 thousand riyals for restaurants, which reflects the strict control over chemical pollutants that may lead to serious health damage.

The circle of responsibility has been expanded to include cases in which epidemiological evidence proves that symptoms match between infected people from different families who ate food from one source, even if the laboratory results of the samples are negative, as fines of up to 6 thousand riyals are imposed for each affected person. Based on the evidence of the epidemiological investigation.

The controls included strict penalties related to the health of workers, as the factory will be fined 12 thousand riyals and the restaurant 6 thousand riyals for each affected person if it is proven that the infection was transmitted by a worker infected with pathogenic internal parasites, which places the responsibility of periodic medical examination of workers at the top of the priorities of food establishments.

The regulations stressed not tolerating the repetition of violations, as it explicitly stipulated that the value of the fine be doubled in the event of committing The same violation is committed within one year from the date of the previous violation, which leaves establishments with only one choice, which is to permanently adhere to health standards to avoid progressive penalties.

Referral to the Public Prosecution

The new system abolished the principle of “initial warning” in violations Food poisoningcategorically, as the fines mentioned in the table are applied as soon as the violation is proven, which ends the era of warnings and establishes the stage of direct accountability to ensure that there is no laxity in the health of consumers.

It was decided to refer case files that result in death or permanent health damage to the injured to the Public Prosecution to complete the regular procedures, in addition to imposing the prescribed financial penalties, to guarantee public and private rights in catastrophic accidents.

The regulation granted broad powers to the Minister Municipalities, Housing, and the CEO of the Food and Drug Authority, each according to their specialty, to approve sanctions and impose additional non-financial penalties stipulated in the food system, thus enhancing the integration of oversight and executive roles.

The penalties focused on violations related to public hygiene, such as high bacterial load or the presence of coliform bacteria in food, water, and tools, with fines of up to 12,000 riyals for factories and 6,000 riyals for restaurants for each affected person, to cover all aspects of the potential contamination chain.

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