Chief of Food and Health Hygiene Abdullah Baqer told Khaleej Times on Wednesday that the meeting that was attended by representatives from GCC states discussed steps to make each Gulf country a point of import for specific consumable products.
According to a proposal, each country will be a point of entry for products that are allocated to it.
For instance since vegetables are generally brought in from Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and other northern countries it is possible Saudi Arabia could be recommended as a gateway for vegetable products, he explained.
“Saudi authorities on their part would carry out necessary tests and put in place checks to ensure that imported vegetables are free from pesticides.”
The move is part of a plan to reinforce joint efforts to combat the entry of contaminated food in the region. The six countries also discussed standardising their checks and testing facilities to avoid multiple testing of a product when distributed from one GCC country to another.
