Dr. Hisham bin Saad Al-Jadhey, the CEO of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), has expressed his gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince following the Cabinet’s approval of a memorandum of cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Morocco to recognize Halal certificates for local products. This approval is expected to contribute to developing classification procedures for Halal certificates, recognizing certificates issued by both countries, and promoting trade cooperation in Halal products.
The Cabinet previously approved the memorandum of cooperation. It pertained to the mutual recognition of Halal certificates for local products issued by Morocco, represented by the Moroccan Standards Institute (IMANOR) of the Ministry of Industry, Trade, Green, and Digital Economy. The memorandum of cooperation was signed in October 2022 during a visit by a Saudi Arabian delegation to Morocco, which included representatives from the SFDA.
The delegation was led by Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, the Minister of Commerce and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Foreign Trade. The delegation comprised officials from 14 government agencies and representatives from 62 Saudi private-sector companies.
The agreement aims to improve and develop cooperation in the mutual recognition of Halal certificates for local products. It also seeks to establish standards, technical regulations, and conformity assessment procedures for issuing Halal certificates. It also seeks to exchange expertise and technological know-how in training, research, and laboratory analysis of Halal products.
Since 2019, 213 food establishments have obtained the certificate of the Saudi Halal Center. Furthermore, 55 agencies have received a certificate of issuance of Halal certificates and trademarks in 26 countries worldwide. The number of issued Halal consignment certificates has also exceeded 79,000 certificates.
The Saudi Halal Center is working on 13 initiatives in the national strategy for Halal. This involves the participation of relevant authorities, and the initiatives aim to consolidate Saudi Arabia’s leading role in Halal economics. Examples of these initiatives include the Global Halal Platform and the ambition to support local establishments by granting them Halal certification and developing the control mechanism for donors and those approved by the center. This will improve the level of control on establishments that export to the Kingdom.
The Saudi Halal Center has signed several agreements with Saudi universities to research and develop Halal products. The center also aims to qualify human personnel in the Halal sector worldwide.
In summary, the approval of the memorandum of cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Morocco in recognizing Halal certificates for local products is expected to have a significant impact on the development of classification procedures for Halal certificates, the recognition of certificates issued by both countries, and the promotion of trade cooperation in Halal products. The Saudi Halal Center plays a crucial role in this development, and its initiatives are expected to consolidate Saudi Arabia’s leading position in Halal economics.
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