Riyadh: The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) signed Thursday a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, also known as Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura, to discuss cooperation opportunities in halal product quality assurance.

The MoU aims to develop procedures for conformity assessment, standard specifications, and technical regulations for issuing halal certificates.

The MoU also ensures mutual recognition between the two sides for exported local products as well as the exchange of expertise and knowledge in the areas of training, research, and laboratory analysis for halal products.

Saudi Food and Drug Authority CEO Hisham bin Saad Aljadhey and Chief Executive of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore signed the MoU in the presence of Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman.

The Saudi Halal Center is one of the initiatives of the National Transformation Program.

The certificates issued by the center contribute to facilitating import and export procedures and supporting the export of local products to compete in global markets.