His Excellency Dr. Mohammed bin Ahmed Alkanhal the acting vice executive president of the SFDA inaugurated the first session of discussing food regulation items in the headquarter of Chamber of Commerce in Riyadh, and revealed that the duty of monitoring imported food is about to be transformed completely from the Ministry of Commerce to the SFDA within two months, confirming that the coming duties will be monitoring food plants then food establishments that selling food to consumers directly. He assured too that the SFDA will be responsible about the duties of controlling food and drug entirely within the coming three years.
Dr. Alkanhal stated that the SFDA has 9 laboratories in several land borders to monitor food and still there is lack of cadres and labs in other land borders. He added too that the SFDA is working on having 29 monitoring labs to cover all land borders of KSA that admit imported food and drug and their products.
In a question of an attendant about monitoring tobacco and educating people about its hazards; Dr. Alkanhal stated that as tobacco is not one of food ingredients, the SFDA is not responsible about monitoring it unless its duty includes looking for hurtful substances that affect health as nicotine and tar and in this case the SFDA will prohibit it and afford costs of monitoring it.
Dr. Alkanhal confirmed that such workshops welcome the participation of relative authorities to make use of their view points during setting the final draft of food regulation before submitting it to respective authorities to approve it. He referred to the food regulation as a system that aims to reach best levels of protecting people health and lives against unhealthy, unsafe or contaminated food by insuring the confirmation of imported, consumed or local food with the standards of food approved by the SFDA.
In addition, he added that the project seeks having consumers confident in food and food monitoring system as well as protecting people interests from counterfeiting procedures. Dr. Alkanhal stated that one of important goals of the project is encouraging the preventive process of food safety through food safety rules, checking procedures, supplying technical assistance and assuring the application of high levels protection during the series of food production to consuming with committing to procedures of food safety and quality approved by the SFDA.

The workshops that regard the SFDA system and lectured by Dr. Ibraheeem Almuhaize, the vice president of food affair, consultant Saleh Alatwi, the director of legal administration and Dr. Abduh Qasim, the consultant of food sector, aimed to open the door of participation to people whom concerned in food issues and the private sector in order to have their visions about the regulation.
The second session will be in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jeddah on Sunday 2-8-1429H, while the third one will be in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Eastern Region on Tuesday 4-8-1429H at 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. for both of them.