Ecolab Inc., an American global provider of water, hygiene and energy technologies and services that protect people and vital resources, will share its food safety and hygiene expertise at the third Saudi Food & Drug Authority (SFDA) exhibition and conference, the largest annual event for food, drug and medical devices in Saudi Arabia. The event runs from Sept. 30 until Oct. 2 at the Riyadh International Conference & Exhibition Center.
Dr. Ludgar Grunwald, Ecolab director of regulatory affairs and an internationally recognized food chemist, will address the SFDA conference on “Ensuring Consumer Protection Through the Application of Sanitizers, Disinfectants and Cleaning Agents from Farm to Fork, Balancing the Risks and Benefits of Their Use.”
“Evaluating the safety of food-related antimicrobial and cleaning chemicals differs across the globe. This makes it challenging for stakeholders to consistently address their safety,” said Dr. Grunwald.
“While food safety management systems, including CODEX, GFSI guidance and FDA regulations are well established, there is a need for joint management of new residue challenges to enable seamless partnerships across industries that satisfy consumer expectations of ‘zero’ risk. The SFDA presentation will illustrate the industry position on the use of sanitizers, disinfectants and cleaning agents and its relationship with microbial resistance.”
Dr. Grunwald’s address comes as Saudi Arabia’s food service market is forecast to reach $31.6 billion by 2024, growing at a compound average growth rate of 5.9 percent, according to Mordor Intelligence.
Dr. Grunwald added: “The size of market growth is astonishing with as many as 50 hotels planned for Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Project alone. But as investment toward tourism continues, so do the fundamentals which can make or break reputations, and international hygiene standards is one of them. Ecolab works to help improve hygiene standards and sanitize equipment used to process, prepare or serve food, as well as detergents and cleansers to sanitize a variety of surfaces. We are ready to help meet the Kingdom’s ambitions and ensure that the best hygiene solutions are implemented wherever they may be needed.”
