The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) detected 187 violating facilities and 277 types of products during 1,959 monitoring and inspection tours conducted across all regions of the Kingdom in May 2024.

The violations included a food facility in Riyadh that was manufacturing and producing fresh juices inside an unlicensed warehouse, lacking an external signboard and maintaining a low level of cleanliness. Expired raw materials and workers without health certificates were also found. As a result of these violations, the facility was closed, fined, and all products were seized.

In the Eastern Region, the SFDA received a report about a residential apartment being used as a warehouse for illegally imported food products. After verifying the storage violation, permission was requested from the Public Prosecution to search the residence in coordination with security authorities. Expired food products were discovered inside the apartment. Consequently, the violating products were destroyed, the owner was summoned, and his statements were taken, with the site being handed over to the relevant municipality for further action.

In cooperation with a printing house owner in the Asir region, a health practitioner working in a pharmacy was arrested for committing commercial fraud involving a pharmaceutical product. A request was received to print covers for the product. After investigation and coordination with security authorities, 4,000 outer cover packages were seized and confiscated, and both the resident and the pharmacy owner were summoned to provide statements in preparation for referral to the Public Prosecution.

The impact of these tours and seizures reflects the SFDA's commitment to ensuring the safety and quality of food, pharmaceutical, and medical products, protecting the market and consumers from commercial fraud, counterfeit products, and those of unknown origin, while increasing compliance among establishments under the SFDA’s supervision.

The SFDA stresses that it will take legal measures against violators and encourages reporting any observed violations of establishments under its supervision by calling the unified number 19999 or via the Tameni application.