Shoura Council members Monday called for a strict monitoring of restaurants and fast-food outlets in the Kingdom. They said meals and menus of food outlets, including fast-food ones must be subject to strict Saudi standards and specifications. The appeal came during a discussion on report of the Environmental and Health Affairs Committee which stipulates that no imported food should be cleared from customs without the approval of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA). The laws stipulate that businesses concerned with food production register their products with the SFDA. The laws give the SFDA the right to test food before, during and after marketing and take necessary measures against violations. The Council started its fourth session Monday with a report on the Committee of Housing, Water and Public Services regarding the two annual reports of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs for the fiscal years 2008-09 and 2010-11. The Shoura discussed the efforts of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs to complete development projects ordered by King Abdullah. It called upon the ministry to allocate mayoralty and municipality budgets according to each city's population and geographical area. It also said cleaning contracts must consider the conditions of labor and ameliorate these conditions so that workers do their job and do not have to rely on extra work. The Council also urged the ministry to investigate the reasons behind recent increase in land price and combat this trend.
