Article 42 of the Saudi Food Law

This article ensures public participation in making the technical rules for food. Before the Food and Drug Authority adopts or issues:

• technical regulations, which according to Article 1 are mandatory documents describing the characteristics of food or the methods of its production and manufacture and the instructions regulating them,
• or food standard specifications, a non-mandatory document the Authority approves,

it must present their drafts to the public, for the purpose of receiving comments and suggestions.

What the text leaves to the Authority's discretion: the manner of presentation; the article says "in the manner it considers appropriate" and does not specify the period or means of presentation.

What binds the Authority: the presentation must be before adoption or issue; publication after the regulation is issued is not enough.

The practical effect is that factories, importers, consumers and specialists can see the drafts before they become binding and submit their comments on them. The text does not state that the Authority is bound to take these comments into account; it provides for receiving them.

It is followed by Article 43, which permits the Authority to use any other government body or the private sector to carry out any task assigned to it under the Law and its Regulations. It comes after Article 41, which permits rewarding a person who helps in detecting violations.

Food establishments should follow the drafts the Authority presents, because what is issued afterward may directly affect their activity.