The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has participated in the meetings of the technical committees of Codex Alimentarius Commission held in San Diego and Rome. During the meeting, the committees reviewed and discussed the outputs of the work of the technical committees (fat and oil, nutrition and foods with special dietary uses, pollutants and pesticide residues). They also approved a number of food specifications, most notably the standard for saffron and the maximum limits for residues of a number of pesticides in commodities. The meeting also discussed the implementation of the Strategic Plan of the Codex Alimentarius Commission for 2020-2025, and the results of the survey were presented regarding the impact of using Codex standards, in addition to issues arising from the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. During the meeting of Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH53), the SFDA's delegation expressed its opinion on the technical issues raised by the committee, and also provided support for a draft discussion paper on reviewing Guidelines on the Application of General Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of Pathogenic Vibrio Species in Seafood (CXG 73-2010). The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, is the coordinator and host of the Coordinating Committee for the Near East Region countries of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CODEX), which includes 17 countries. SFDA chairs and actively participates in a number of technical committees and electronic working groups concerned with the development of international standards.
