SFDA CEO Heads Delegation at Sixth IHFAF Meeting in Santiago, Chile

Riyadh, April 12, 2025, CEO of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) Dr. Hisham Aljadhey led the authority's delegation to the sixth annual meeting of the International Heads of Food Agencies Forum (IHFAF), which convened in Santiago, Chile, from April 9 to 11 under the theme "Innovation, Technology, and Digital Transformation in Food Safety."

 According to an SFDA press release, the forum brought together leaders of food safety agencies from around the world to discuss strategies for leveraging technology to enhance global food safety systems. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the SFDA, co-chaired a key session titled “Artificial Intelligence (AI) and New Technologies Used in Food Safety Inspection.”

 During this session, the SFDA highlighted its initiatives in adopting advanced technologies for food inspection and control, emphasizing their positive impact on enhancing compliance with quality standards. This technological adoption ultimately contributes to improved public health by ensuring the safety of food products available in the market. The meeting sessions underscored the crucial role of digital transformation in the food sector and explored how AI and new technologies can improve the efficiency of inspections conducted by food control authorities.

 The release added that discussions also covered best practices for risk communication and information management, essential for ensuring food quality and safety amid rapid technological advancements.

 The SFDA's active participation in this prominent international meeting underscores its ongoing commitment to enhancing collaboration with global counterparts. It reaffirms the authority's leading role in facilitating the exchange of expertise and knowledge, further solidifying its position as a key regulatory reference in the field of food safety.

 The SFDA is notably a founding member of IHFAF, which convened its inaugural meeting in Riyadh in 2020, with the overarching goal of unifying global efforts to elevate food safety and quality standards.