Discussion on food and drugs in Jordan

Under the Patronage of His Excellency Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh

Economic Policy Development Forum Holds a Panel Discussion with the General Manager of Jordan Food & Drug Administration 
AMMAN – April 7, 2016 -

The Economic Policy Development Forum (EPDF) organized a panel discussion with His Excellency Dr. Hayel Obeidat, General Manager of the Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JDFA), to discuss JDFA role in maintaining the safety of food and drugs in Jordan.
Representatives from various food sectors including restaurants and bakery owners, foodstuff and pharmaceutical factories, and relevant industry union members such as Bakery Owners Association, General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants, Jordan Hotel Association, Union of Restaurants and Confectionary Proprietors, Jordan Pharmaceutical Association and a host of interested attendees and specialists.
Dr. Obeidat stated that despite the recent improvements in food production, there are still 5-7 million deaths of children reported every year due to malnutrition-related diseases,   while estimates reach around at $30 billion annually the consequential direct medical cost of malnutrition in developing countries. It is also estimated that the cost of lack of nutritional-feeding in developing countries is more than 220 million years of the productive life of family members whose age is decreasing due to malnutrition.

He also pointed out that the expenditure of one Jordanian family on food is estimated  at 36%-47% of their total living expenses, and that there has been an increase in the level of expenditure on food since the second half of the 80s as a result of the removal of government subsidies and floating  prices.   
According to Obeidat, JDFA regulatory measures   in controlling  Food, include the classification of the different food institutions depending on the potential health danger they impose, their level of complete understanding of healthy food monitoring, effective legal procedures, and encouraging food institutions on implementing self-monitoring programs, and consumer awareness of food safety basics.
He noted that JDFA faces many challenges and obstacles due to the duplication of its work by a number of other monitoring regulators; and that there is a need for establishing an independent food and drug specialized court similar to the Customs Court and the Greater Amman Municipality Court and courts of other municipalities. 
Dr. Obeidat also added that the JDFA is also working on the issuance of new legislations and laws that regulate its monitoring and procedural role, including various stakeholders – specially the Greater Amman Municipality. 
And regarding the drug industry expenditure which is estimated globally at more than  $1.2 billion annually, Jordan's expenditure is more than 9% of its GDP and it is increasing at a ratio of 17%  annually compared to the growth of GDP with 3.3% per year, while nearly 35% of drugs produced are prone to be damaged due to negative practice.

Meanwhile, regarding the impact of the increasing number of Syrian refugees on the Foodstuff and Pharmaceutical sector, Dr. Obeidat indicated that this flood of asylum seekers moving to Jordan has caused a serious return of infectious diseases; which the Jordanian health authorities were successful in eliminating them. He also stressed that the absence of monitoring roles of health authorities of neighboring countries caused an increase in the level of fraud and smuggling of foodstuff and Drugs which places additional burden on the Food and Drug Administration, especially in the light of limited human and financial resources.