General Food Security Authority

The General Food Security Authority (GFSA) is the governmental body responsible for food security in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It ensures the affordability, sustainability, and reliability of food commodities related to the strategic stockpile and promotes its growth through regulation, trustworthy market analysis and information, and effective emergency response.

The GFSA was established by a Royal Decree issued on May 9, 1972, amended by a Royal Decree dated October 27, 1985, under the name of the Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organization. Then, a decision by the Council of Ministers on November 9, 2015, approved the establishment of four joint-stock companies for flour mills. Subsequently, the Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organization was re-regulated, and its name was changed to the Grains Organization. Following that, a decision by the Council of Ministers on May 9, 2016, approving the regulations for the Grains Organization to manage, operate, develop, and enhance the activity of silos.

On May 26, 2016, in line with a Royal Order, the organization was assigned the file of importing barley feed through twenty-eight storage stations distributed around Saudi ports to distribute and sell barley while maintaining a suitable strategic stockpile for emergencies. Then, the Council of Ministers, on November 10, 2020, decided to assign the import and sale of barley to the private sector, as per the stipulations of the decision. Afterward, a decision by the Council of Ministers dated January 17, 2023, was issued to transform the Grains Organization into an authority under the name General Food Security Authority, continuing to carry out the operational tasks for storage silos, including purchasing wheat and strategic storage, along with the study of transferring it to the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC), in addition to organizing, developing, and enhancing food security to ensure the protection of the country's vital interests and national security, and monitoring compliance with relevant laws and plans.

The GFSA undertakes several tasks, mainly:

- Proposing draft laws and regulations related to its competencies and suggesting amendments to those in effect.

- Reviewing and developing the food security strategy and preparing its implementation plan in coordination with relevant entities.

- Working to provide a suitable investment environment for the food sector to enhance food security.

- Designing an early warning system for food security in coordination with concerned entities.

- Developing and updating emergency response plans related to the food security system and their recovery.

- Establishing plans for strategic storage related to the food security system in coordination with relevant entities.

- Setting standards, procedures, and models related to food security areas.

- Establishing controls and requirements for the licenses it issues according to its competencies.

- Measuring levels of food loss and waste, identifying targets to reduce them, launching awareness programs to minimize food loss and waste, and monitoring their implementation.

- Monitoring and collecting data necessary to support analysis and early detection of crises related to the food security system and taking necessary actions to avoid such crises.

- Monitoring the commodities targeted by the strategic storage plans related to the food security system stored in the private sector, and the mechanisms for recycling and using them, and taking the necessary measures regarding what the GFSA monitors in this regard.

- Concluding agreements and memorandums of understanding related to the areas of food security with the relevant entities inside and outside the Kingdom, in accordance with the established regulatory procedures.

- Organizing and participating in conferences, seminars, and workshops related to food security areas, both within the Kingdom and abroad, following established regulatory procedures.

- Supporting and conducting research and studies in food security areas, either independently or in collaboration with related entities.

GFSA contributes to social development by promoting industrial, professional, and technical awareness among the youth. It fosters the formation of highly skilled technical and administrative Saudi cadres through scholarships for study or training abroad in specialties like grain storage, flour milling, fodder production, and equipment maintenance and operation. The aim is to replace Saudi expertise and skills through the employment of qualified national cadres.

GFSA collaborates with organizations, authorities, and local and international entities specialized in scientific and productive fields related to grain production, storage, flour milling, and fodder production. These include the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, Saudi universities and scientific research centers, the Australian and Canadian wheat councils, the Canadian Grain Institute, the Argentine Wheat Council, the Bread Research Institute of Australia, and other specialized entities worldwide. The collaboration aims at exchanging information and visits, transferring expertise, benefiting from modern advanced technologies, and holding training seminars.