The S.F.D.A revealed its new strategic plan features after making use of international experiences that relate to organizing monitoring duties and setting standard specifications. Moreover, it will deliver a controlling list- which is going to declared soon- in order to issue licenses of food and drug establishments. The S.F.D.A tends to make expanded researching studies relate to safety and monitoring affairs, and that comes after issuing the royal decree which approved the S.F.D.A system.
D. Ibraheem Almohaize the vice chairman of the S.F.D.A and the chairman of food sector declared- in a telephone call with Asharq Alawsat news paper- that this approval represents the integration of food monitoring future with the kingdom status within the map of international commerce.
He added that " the minister council resolution will improve the level of food and medical devices safety and the citizens health care and this accompanied with the international tendencies which consolidate efforts, avoid duality and achieve the desired goals. Therefore, fulfilling the requirements of joining the world commerce organizations will be easier as the S.F.D.A fundamentals restrict the problems of international commerce and agree with world regulations".
He clarified too that one of the S.F.D.A duties is issuing licenses of food establishments and a list of related regulations will be delivered soon.
D. Almohaize stated about the interference the controlling role and the obligatory specifications setting with the Saudi Authority of Specifications and Standards That
" the Saudi Authority of Specifications and Standards efforts are beneficial, but we will have our own conditions that agree with the international specifications adopted from the Codex Alimentarius".
He also referred to the privacy of some specifications and samples that is going to be regained to suit the Kingdom conditions since the Kingdom imports approximately 60% of its food productions from more than 150 countries. He added that there must be a scientific methodology that has international specifications and food safety field should have all the concern that resembles the world regulations.
The vice chairman of the S.F.D.A revealed that the S.F.D.A tends to make expanded researching studies in the future about food. He stated too that there is a researching group belongs to Saudi universities for this duty and still there are more than one project needing a researching study in food field. He also clarified that the beginning will be with packing and wrapping project that considered one of the most important and urgent issues since the plastic manufacture is endless and doubts about plastic products safety are great. For that reason a study of counting the packed and wrapped materials and recognizing their formation then conforming them with world specifications and assuring their safety has been started.
D. Amohaize mentioned that there is another research deals with developing national laboratories by looking for methods that lead to have high and authorized levels in order to be accepted anywhere in the world. In addition, there is another future study deals with the effect of pesticides residues on food and it will be revealed soon.
It worth mentioning that the S.F.D.A was established as an independent authority and it is related directly to the ministers council chairman. All the executive and monitoring duties that are done by the existing authorities will be transformed to the S.F.D.A to insure the safety of food and drug consumed by humans and animals, the safety of biochemical production and electronic products that affect human health.

The source: Asharq Alawsat newspaper.