The Environment Ministry is inspecting pesticide residues in markets in Mecca and Jeddah
The branch of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture in the Makkah region, represented by the Plant Resources Department, has intensified its field monitoring work by implementing a series of periodic campaigns and taking intensive daily samples targeting various agricultural products, within the framework of the Ministry’s strategy to ensure food safety and the arrival of healthy and safe products to consumers.
Strict oversight of public utility markets
The inspection tours included the random and systematic sampling of a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, field crops, and dates for thorough analysis to ensure their safety and suitability for direct human consumption. Specialists focused their efforts primarily on the central fruit and vegetable market in Jeddah, the largest marketing outlet in the region and the main distribution point supplying numerous smaller markets. This makes controlling product quality at the market a cornerstone for ensuring the safety of produce throughout the region.
Inspection mechanism and international standards
The monitoring process was extended to include receiving and examining samples from all branch offices across the various governorates, ensuring comprehensive and accurate coverage of all agricultural marketing outlets in the region. The collected samples are immediately sent to the branch's pesticide residue analysis laboratory, equipped with the latest laboratory technologies, to conduct the necessary tests and verify their freedom from chemical contaminants that could harm consumer health.
The ministry relies on strict standards in its inspection processes that comply with the specifications of the General Authority for Food and Drug, in addition to conforming to the European Union standard specifications, which are among the highest global standards in this field, to ensure that the maximum permissible limits for pesticide residues (MRLs) are not exceeded.
Strategic context and importance of the event
These intensive field operations come within the context of the major transformation underway in the agricultural sector in Saudi Arabia, in line with the goals of Vision 2030, which prioritizes food safety and security. For years, the Ministry has been working to implement strict regulations to curb the indiscriminate use of pesticides, promote good agricultural practices (Saudi GAP), and shift towards organic and clean farming.
These measures are of paramount importance on both the health and economic fronts. From a health perspective, controlling pesticide residues helps prevent chronic diseases and health risks associated with chemical accumulation in the body. Economically, ensuring local agricultural products meet international standards enhances consumer confidence in domestic produce and opens wider avenues for exporting Saudi crops to global markets, thus supporting the national economy and achieving sustainable development.
Boosting consumer confidence
Through these strict measures, the ministry seeks to enhance consumer confidence in local and imported agricultural products traded in the markets of the Makkah region, and to ensure that their tables are free from any contaminants, stressing its continuation of these campaigns to deter violators and correct the conditions of the agricultural market.
