Young Saudi men and women are increasingly turning their own private rooms into entertainment hubs as a way of saving themselves from boredom. They equip their rooms with DJ turntables and other entertainment spots such as billiard tables, sound systems, electronic equipment and others.
In a sign of growing confidence in the Kingdom’s economic stability, Mars Incorporated, a global food giant with annual sales exceeding $30 billion, announced on Wednesday SR225 million ($60 million) initial investment to build a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) in Rabigh, about 130 km north of Jeddah.
The First International Conference on Halal Food in Riyadh concluded on Tuesday, calling on non-Muslim countries exporting food to Islamic countries to strictly adhere to Islamic regulations with regard to ensuring products are halal.
Mian Nadeem Riaz from Texas said that for the food industry to serve the halal market, it is very important that they know the halal status of additives. He pointed out that some of the common additives are derived from sources that are not halal, for example pigs and animals slaughtered without abiding by religious directives.
The main sessions will focus on genetically modified food, lawfulness of food additives, analysis methods of halal food, control of halal food, its standards, certification and countries’ experiences in halal food control.
Forty-seven Brazilian companies from the sectors such as food, beverages and agribusiness; machinery and equipment; and house and civil construction aim boost trade ties with potential local buyers from Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh Governor Prince Sattam opened an international conference on halal food in the capital here on Sunday. The Saudi Food and Drugs Authority organized the three-day conference focusing on monitoring halal food. In his address, Executive President of SFDA Muhammad Al-Kanhal stressed the need to monitor imported food.
SFDA has brought scientific and religious scholars to a common platform to explore new ways of improving the global halal food industry and to chalk out a mechanism to maintain a uniform check on the quality as well as the regulations adopted by the local authorities to ensure that the food consumed is halal.
King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, will patronize here Sunday the first global conference on Halal food held by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority. The conference will come up with recommendations on the best ways to monitor food, lay down Halal food requirements, and seek to foster trade relations between participating countries.
Usually it is the job of an art historian to pinpoint when an art movement begins. But last month, on the west coast of Saudi Arabia, the overwhelming feeling among visitors to a ground-breaking exhibition of Saudi contemporary art was that they had witnessed the birth of something new.
The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) plans to launch an investigation into the delay of some of its laboratories in completing tests on food products coming into the country, Saudi Gazette has reported. The move follows complaints from a number of businessmen and importers that their perishable products expire while the tests are still being done.
A high-level delegation of tourism and culture ministers, government officials, bureaucrats, airline operators and tourism experts from different states of India is currently visiting the Kingdom to familiarize Saudis with all that “Incredible India” has to offer.
Arab countries need to invest $144 billion in agriculture between now and 2030 to meet the demand for food for their growing populations, said an Arab official.
For the first time the Halal Food Control and Exhibition will be held in Riyadh. This conference will be held concurrently with a halal products exhibition. Important issues surrounding standardization of halal will be one of the main topics to be discussed.
A Singapore business delegation from the food sector is currently in Saudi Arabia to explore business opportunities in the Kingdom’s burgeoning food and beverage sector. GCC’s $9 billion food and beverage market, easily establishing the country as a major business and investment destination for key players in the food production value chain.
The recent decision by Saudi King Abdullah to allow women to run and vote in municipal elections and become members of the Shura Council, a parliament that acts as an advisory council to the King but has no legislative powers, has huge implications for the status of women in Saudi Arabia.
Pfizer has become the first multinational pharma investor to set up a wholly owned subsidiary. It is all part of the Saudi efforts to expand the healthcare sector. Because of restrictions on foreign-ownership of businesses, foreign investments in Saudi Arabia’s pharma sector have traditionally been limited to joint ventures with domestic firms. Now the development of economic “free zones” is changing that, and Pfizer of the US is one company taking advantage.
To the al-Saud monarchy, Makkah is their vision of the future – a steel and concrete metropolis built on the proceeds of enormous oil wealth that showcases their national pride. Behind closed doors – in places where the religious police cannot listen in – residents of Makkah are beginning to refer to their city as Las Vegas, and the moniker is not a compliment.
Islamic Finance news – IFN Today, Thursday, 17th May 2012
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