In Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) conducted a multimedia campaign on the occasion of  World Food Safety Day. The SFDA Executive President, Professor Hisham Al-Jadhey stated in a public address: “This year's slogan, ‘Food Standards Save Lives’, confirms the importance of the safety of products throughout all stages of the food chain, starting from the production and manufacturing, up to transportation, preservation and storage, and ending with the display of these products in the markets to the consumer.

“Based on the support and care that the SFDA obtains and appreciates from the wise leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we are proud of the efforts that have been made in the field of food and nutritional standards, which follow a methodology based on scientific evidence that guarantee - God willing - the safety of the product from any potential risks that may exist in it and affect our health such as microbial, chemical and physical contaminants.

In addition, nutritional standards promote health through improving the nutritional value of the food product by reducing its sugar, salt and fat content to contribute to reducing the incidence of chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes, which helps the consumer to choose healthier food options.

“Food safety is the responsibility of everyone, including individuals, producers, legislative and oversight bodies and organizations, and each one of us has a role to play, so let us all work to provide safe and healthy food to build a society whose members enjoy a healthy lifestyle”

A symposium under the slogan: “Food standards save lives"was held on Wednesday 7 June. The objective of this symposium was to highlight national efforts on setting standards that save lives and its implementation. It was held in the presence of a number of speakers who have an important and essential role in ensuring food safety throughout the food chain in order to emphasize the importance of standards as being a roadmap towards food safety.

Workshops were held on various subjects, including: Food Contact Packaging Materials, presented by Mohammed Al Johani and Abdullah Al Sayyari; Additives Permitted for Use in Foodstuffs, presented by Nada Saeed; the Declaration of Allergens on Food Establishments Menu’s Selling Away-From-Home Foods, presented by Atheer Alraqea; and Food Safety Standards: A Basic Line of Defence Against Antibiotic Resistance, presented by Nada Alasiri.

There was extensive media coverage of the SFDA’s World Food Safety Day activities and messages, and infographics and posts on social media platforms helped to spread the messages more widely.

Find out more
See the SFDA presidential address

In the media
By Alekhbariya News – highlighting importance of World Food Safety Day and the effort made by the SFDA in setting standards to ensure food safety
Presented by Khalid Al Zhrani
By Riyadh Airports - highlighting importance of World Food Safety Day
Riyadh Airports in cooperation with the SFDA held an event that included activities defined by best practices and requirements for food safety to achieve better awareness of the importance of food safety
Presented by Abdulaziz  Al Tamimi

Photo © SFDA