According to a report carried by the Saudi Press Agency, a project would be implemented to monitor imported food in cooperation with a German firm named GTZ. A new center will be set up to monitor and protect against diseases that are spread through food, an official statement said, adding that the center will also monitor food poisoning cases and contagious diseases.

Addressing SFDA’s board of directors, Prince Naif highlighted the authority’s vital role in serving society by taking steps to ensure the safety of food and medicine, and specifying medical standards.

The meeting, which was attended by senior Cabinet members, approved the rules and regulations related to cosmetic products and endorsed the authority’s organizational structure.  Prince Naif launched a national center to monitor food contamination in order to ensure the safety of food. There will be four specialized laboratories under the center, the statement said. Another project will be implemented to review the safety of materials used to pack and can food.

The Kingdom will also establish a center to follow up on information related to food. The center is essential as the Kingdom imports from 150 countries in order to take appropriate action such as banning suspected and problematic products and withdrawing them from markets. A data for food industries and warehouses in the Kingdom will also be prepared. SFDA will carry out regular campaigns to enhance public awareness on food safety and warn people against using harmful foodstuffs.

Referring to the new projects in the medicine sector, the statement said they include an electronic system to register medicine, a national record of pharmaceutical firms, a system to import and classify medicine, a system to ensure the quality of imported medicine and cosmetics, and a national center for information related to medicine.

The new SFDA projects also include a national record for medical equipment and products, a national center to follow up on information related to medical equipment and products, and another center to ascertain details of medical consignments before they reach the Kingdom.

There is another system to license the importing of medical equipment and products, the statement said.

But the statement did not mention when the new projects would be completed and how much they would cost.