His Excellency the Chief Executive Officer of SFDA, Dr. Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Almishal, stressed that GCC have built a series of standard legislations and mechanisms that helped in protection of Gulf markets from unsafe food.

While he chaired the third meeting of the respective ministers committee involved in food safety in the GCC states- held in GCC General Secretariat Headquarters in Riyadh- Dr. Almishal  said; “"GCC countries face multiple challenges in ensuring safety  and security of food as they depend in importing a high percentage of their food from outside GCC countries, Therefore GCC states worked -and still working- to build a series of standard legislations and mechanisms to protect the Gulf market against unsafe food, which will be the first line of defense and the most immune to protect the health of citizens. This is in addition to the collective coordination and development of legislations that regulate food imports process ".

He pointed out that this meeting comes to crown GCC Leaders efforts and their keenness to enhance GCC food safety and security and to realize the overall development that will be reflected o people’s prosperity and welfare through providing safe food, creating new investment opportunities and overcoming all difficulties and obstacles encountering the achievement of this goal. This goal will e achieved through joint effort to standardize food control regulations and mechanisms for locally produced or imported foods.

Dr. Almishal added that the GCC countries are keen to ensure adoption of the highest food safety standards. This ministerial committee meeting for food safety is of great importance stemming from the importance of the ministerial committee for food safety itself, the important topics discussed therein, thus contributing to ensure improvement of control over food in GCC countries.

He said: "In addition to committee’s achievements y adopting a number of policies and programs that address the security and safety of food. The committee has developed a number of important projects including, but not limited to: Issuance of the Standard GCC Food  Regulations, issuance of the Gulf Guide for the control of imported food, developed Regulation of GCC Rapid Alarm System for Food and Feed  and the national focal point and central point of the system, and the draft Implementing regulations of the standard GCC Food Regulations, and the agreement to organize a GCC Food Safety Day  to raise consumer awareness and publicize the laws and regulations adopted by the GCC countries in order to preserve consumer health and safety".

2The meeting has discussed several topics that will contribute to the achievement of common goals to ensure the highest degree of food safety and security

On top of these issues is: The Implementing regulations of the standard GCC Food Regulations, the organizational structure of the Ministerial Committee for Food Safety, and the organization of the GCC Food Safety Day. In addition the meeting has discussed revisions made to the GCC Guide for control of imported food.

SFDA participated in this meeting, represented by SFDA Vice President for Food Sector, Dr. Salah Al-Miman, and Executive Director of Food Laboratories, Dr. Mustafa Abdu Qassem and representatives of health, municipalities, environment & water resources sectors in GCC.