The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has finalized its comprehensive plan to ensure the provision of safe food, medicines, and medical devices for pilgrims during this year's Hajj season. The announcement was made in a press release on Thursday, emphasizing the Kingdom's commitment to prioritizing the health and well-being of pilgrims.
Key Pillars of the Plan
The SFDA outlined several key pillars of the readiness plan, including strengthening supply chain oversight, enhancing the readiness of field teams, intensifying inspection visits of regulated facilities, and bolstering coordination with relevant government entities. A fully integrated technical team will work around the clock across all regulatory pathways, starting from land, sea, and air entry points.
Inspection and Monitoring
Control measures will be implemented at air freight belonging to Hajj missions and specialized inspection points at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah. Oversight extends to food and pharmaceutical establishments, as well as medical-device facilities under the SFDA's supervision.
Over the past few months, the SFDA conducted over 1,400 inspections of food and pharmaceutical factories and warehouses, as well as medical-device facilities to verify the integrity of supply chains. These inspections aim to ensure that all products meet the highest safety standards.
Awareness Workshops and Collaboration
The SFDA has also hosted several awareness workshops in collaboration with the municipalities of Makkah and Madinah, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Public Health Authority. These sessions targeted factory and catering workers, as well as government inspectors, to ensure strict compliance with health requirements and the provision of safe meals.
The SFDA stated that its participation in the Hajj season every year is part of a unified government ecosystem dedicated to providing the highest quality services to pilgrims, solidifying the Kingdom's global leadership in crowd management and safety. The authority reaffirmed its commitment to leveraging all available resources to ensure a safe and seamless Hajj journey for all pilgrims.
