Article 34 of the Saudi Food Law

This article gives the Saudi Food and Drug Authority the power to make an administrative order for the destruction of a food product. The power is limited by two conditions that must both be met:

1. The product must violate the provisions of the Law and its regulations.
2. Its handling must cause harm to consumer health or public health.

According to the text, a violation alone is not enough for destruction; the handling of the product must be harmful to health. Under Article 1, handling covers the practices food goes through in the food chain.

That the order is administrative means the Authority issues it itself, and the text does not require a court judgment before it.

The destruction procedures are set by the Regulations, and in this article the Law does not say who bears their cost or how they are carried out.

The Authority's powers progress across the neighboring articles: Article 33 allows it to order a product withdrawn or recalled and its handling prohibited if there is evidence that it may harm health; this article allows destruction; then Article 35 prohibits the handling of any food product the Authority has decided to withdraw or recall from the market or ban.

Because destruction results in the permanent loss of the goods, anyone subject to a destruction order who believes that the two conditions are not met can consult a lawyer specializing in administrative cases.