RIYADH — The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has finalized its comprehensive, integrated operational plan for the 2026 Hajj season.
This readiness aligns with the directives of Saudi Arabia’s leadership to prioritize the health and well-being of pilgrims, leveraging all available resources to ensure a safe and seamless Hajj journey. These efforts underscore the Kingdom’s longstanding commitment to the service and care of the Two Holy Mosques and their visitors.
The SFDA’s operational plan focuses on integrated monitoring and proactive pathways. Key pillars include strengthening supply chain oversight, enhancing the readiness of field teams, intensifying inspection visits of regulated facilities, and bolstering coordination with relevant government entities. This comprehensive approach ensures a rapid response and maximizes the efficiency of regulatory operations throughout the season.
The authority confirmed that a fully integrated technical team will work around the clock across all regulatory pathways, starting from land, sea, and air entry points. This includes control over air freight belonging to Hajj missions and specialized inspection points at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah. Oversight also extends to food and pharmaceutical establishments, as well as medical device facilities under the authority’s supervision.
In a proactive campaign spanning from Sha’ban to Shawwal, the SFDA conducted over 1,400 inspection visits to food and pharmaceutical factories, warehouses, and medical device facilities to verify the integrity of supply chains prior to the arrival of pilgrims. Additionally, the SFDA hosted several awareness workshops in collaboration with the mayoralties of Makkah and Madinah, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Public Health Authority. These sessions targeted factory and catering workers, as well as government inspectors, to ensure strict compliance with health requirements and the provision of safe meals.
The SFDA’s annual participation in the Hajj season is part of a unified government ecosystem dedicated to providing the highest quality services to pilgrims, solidifying the Kingdom’s global leadership in crowd management and safety.
These efforts stem from the SFDA’s core responsibility to protect public health through the safety of food, drugs, and medical devices. This readiness is the result of early planning initiated immediately following the previous Hajj season. The SFDA’s Hajj Steering Committee has held regular meetings to review performance and enhance operational readiness, ensuring the highest standards of quality and efficiency for the 2026 Hajj season.
Source: Saudi Gazette