Latest news with #SaudiFoodandDrugAuthority
Gulf Insider
3 days ago
- Gulf Insider
Authorities Shut Warehouses for Expired Kids' Food
The Ministry of Commerce has shut down two illegal warehouses in Riyadh for repackaging and relabeling expired children's food products. Authorities shut warehouses for expired kids' food as part of a broader crackdown, seizing more than 8 tons of spoiled goods prepared for redistribution with forged expiry dates. The warehouses, located in the Aziziyah and Khalidiyah districts in southern Riyadh, were raided by the ministry's inspection teams in coordination with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA). Among the confiscated products were nuts, legumes, candies, and ground coffee, alongside stickers with falsified expiry dates and rubber stamps used in the fraud scheme. Authorities have detained those responsible and initiated legal action, with all seized items earmarked for destruction. The violators face penalties under the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law, which include up to three years in prison, fines of up to SR1 million, or both, as well as public disclosure of their names and deportation of non-Saudi workers involved. The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to cracking down on commercial fraud and protecting consumers from deceptive and hazardous practices in the food sector. Also read: Dust Storms And Thunderstorms Hit Saudi Arabia, Trigger Weather Alerts
Gulf Insider
7 days ago
- Gulf Insider
Saudi Arabia Shuts Illegal Cosmetics Facility, Suspends European Pharmaceutical Factory Over Safety Breaches
In a sweeping enforcement campaign aimed at protecting consumer health, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has taken decisive action on two separate fronts — seizing 1.5 million non-compliant cosmetic products stored illegally in a residential facility and suspending a European pharmaceutical factory after uncovering serious violations of manufacturing standards. In Najran, SFDA inspectors shut down an unauthorised warehouse disguised as a residential facility, where approximately 1.5 million units of cosmetic products with manipulated expiration dates were being stored and distributed. The items, which violated national safety regulations, posed a direct risk to consumer health. The authority has referred the case to the Public Prosecution for further legal action. 'This type of fraud represents a serious threat to public safety and will not be tolerated,' the SFDA said in a statement, adding that it remains committed to combating all forms of non-compliance in the cosmetics sector. Under Article 31 of the Kingdom's Cosmetics Law, offences such as tampering with expiration dates or distributing falsified products can result in up to five years in prison, fines of up to SR5 million or both. In a separate case, the SFDA announced the suspension of a European pharmaceutical manufacturer's registration following an external inspection that revealed serious breaches of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). Inspectors identified significant failures in production procedures and internal quality systems — lapses that were deemed to pose a direct risk to the safety of medicines destined for the Saudi market. The inspection was conducted under the SFDA's foreign factory oversight programme, which adheres to international regulatory standards and involves detailed assessments of production, quality control, and distribution protocols. Describing the suspension as a 'precautionary measure,' the authority said it was enacted to prevent the entry of potentially unsafe pharmaceutical products into the Kingdom.
Saudi Gazette
15-07-2025
- Business
- Saudi Gazette
Saudi Arabia bans grocery stores from selling tobacco products
Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — The Saudi Ministry of Municipalities and Housing has banned the sale of tobacco products in kiosks and grocery stores across the Kingdom. This is part of an update to the requirements for grocery stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets, introduced by the ministry, as part of its efforts to promote the business environment and raise food safety standards to protect consumers. According to the requirements published by the ministry on Monday, these products include all manufactured and packaged tobacco products licensed by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority. These include regular and electronic cigarettes, shisha, and similar tobacco products. Their sale is prohibited in grocery stores, which are stores licensed to sell packaged food products, personal care products, detergents, disinfectants, and related products, as well as plastic and paper products, provided that the facility would have a minimum space of 24 square meters. A kiosk is a small, stand-alone facility, which may be without walls, with a special design consistent with the city's urban identity, where grocery store activities are carried out. The ministry stressed the need for tobacco products to comply with approved standard specifications, such as 100 percent invisibility to facility visitors, and stocking them in closed drawers. It is prohibited to sell them to anyone under the age of 18 or as determined by the Anti-smoking Law. The seller has the right to ask buyers to provide proof of reaching the age of requirements set a minimum area of 4 square meters for kiosks located in shopping malls, 10 square meters for kiosks located on land with commercial or mixed use, 24 square meters for grocery stores, 100 square meters for supermarkets, and 500 square meters for updates also clarified licensing requirements, which include Civil Defense approval before issuance of license and the submission of a valid commercial registration detailing the activity to be licensed. Regarding spatial requirements, the updates stipulate that the site must be located on a commercial street in accordance with regulations and instructions, and within commercial buildings or within sites designated for commercial use.A number of requirements have been set for kiosks, most notably that the distance from the entrance to any building must be at least 6 meters while the minimum distance for pedestrians must be 1.8 meters. There should be a dedicated lane for car service for kiosks located on land with commercial or mixed new amendments in the regulations allow kiosks to be installed in parking lots in commercial complexes after obtaining approval from the mayoralty or municipality provided that the parking capacity is not ministry also allows additional activities for kiosks and that are subject to several conditions, including that the total area of the added activities must not exceed 50 percent of the total area, and that the minimum area of the main activity must be maintained. The additional activity area must not be less than 6 square meters, excluding kiosks and self-service requirements allow the addition of a number of other activities to supermarkets and hyper markets, excluding grocery stores. These include nuts, coffee, unpackaged spices, vegetables, fruits, dates, cheeses, pickles, unpackaged salads, fresh and chilled meat, fresh seafood, tobacco products, and regular, semi-automated, and automated bakeries. The operation of pharmaceuticals, mobile phones, and restaurants are limited to hypermarkets to the requirements, all brand colors, logos, and any other written texts are determined according to specifications necessary to demonstrate a unified commercial identity, including the color used, the type, size, and color of the font, and all its constituent visual elements. Only four colors are allowed to use and they are yellow, and green with its three amendments aim to promote public health, improve food safety, reduce visual distortion, minimize environmental and structural violations, and ensure the smooth flow of updated requirements include location and space requirements, as well as requirements for storing, displaying, and preparing food products, as well as requirements for commercial signs and workers in the requirements also include basic equipment for grocery stores, supermarkets, including food safety management requirements, the distribution of additional activities within the facility, provisions for displaying goods within the facility, and refrigeration and freezing units.
Saudi Gazette
15-07-2025
- Saudi Gazette
SFDA refers illegal cosmetics facility to prosecution over expiry date tampering
Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has referred a violator to the Public Prosecution after uncovering a residential facility used to store and distribute cosmetic products with manipulated expiration dates. SFDA inspectors seized approximately 1.5 million units of non-compliant cosmetic products at the unauthorized site, prompting the immediate closure of the facility and escalation to legal authorities. The violation represents a direct threat to consumer health and safety. According to Article 31 of the Cosmetics Law, offenses such as fraud, tampering, or distribution of expired or falsified products can lead to up to five years' imprisonment, fines up to SR5 million, or both. The Authority emphasized its continued commitment to enforcing regulations, raising product quality and safety standards, and cracking down on all forms of fraud and non-compliance in the cosmetics sector.
Gulf Insider
14-07-2025
- Business
- Gulf Insider
SFDA Suspends European Pharmaceutical Factory Over Critical GMP Violations
The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has suspended the registration of a European pharmaceutical factory following the discovery of serious violations of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) during an external inspection. The decision came after SFDA inspectors identified fundamental lapses in the factory's manufacturing procedures and internal quality systems, posing a direct risk to the safety of pharmaceutical products intended for export to Saudi Arabia. The suspension was enacted as a precautionary measure to prevent the distribution of potentially unsafe medicines in the Kingdom. The inspection, conducted under the SFDA's foreign factory oversight program, aligns with international regulatory standards and involved a comprehensive review of the facility's manufacturing operations, quality controls, and distribution protocols. Several European regulatory agencies have since reached out to the SFDA to examine its technical findings and take further actions, reflecting growing international recognition of the SFDA's regulatory rigor and global role in pharmaceutical safety. The Authority stressed that the monitoring of overseas manufacturing sites is a key pillar of its regulatory framework and is carried out independently using scientific and technical data. It reaffirmed its commitment to consumer safety and pledged to continue taking decisive action against any manufacturer found to be in violation of safety protocols.
