According to the public relations and information center of the Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs, Sorena Sattari, the vice president for science and technology affairs, pointed out the role of innovation and technology in improving the quality of food and drug industry on the conference on the global food day, stating: innovation is one of the fundamental bases of promotion of food and drug industries in the country. In this regard, the entrance of technological and knowledge-based companies into the field can increase the dynamic nature of this area more than ever.

The vice president for science and technology affairs mentioned the constructive cooperation of the ministry of health, treatment and medical education in the area of evaluation and control of food and drug quality, expressing: more than 200 new pesticides have been developed by one of the laboratories established due to the cooperation of the Vice-Presidency and the ministry of health, treatment and medical education. In this respect, more accelerated steps must be taken to develop laboratory centers and improve food and drug quality. Sattari considered the collaboration and interaction of the Food and Drug Administration in the area of expediting the process of diagnosis and approval of food products, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment of the scientist as a step towards the development of this field and the elimination of barriers, adding: in the current year, several medicines and medical equipment manufactured by our country"s science and technology companies have been presented to the Food and Drug Administration including, eight vaccines. The acceleration and focus of the Food and Drug Administration on the evaluation and testing of these products can be a major step forward in the economy and export of this industry and an important contribution to the transition from barriers, such as sanctions against Iran.

The vice president for science and technology affairs pointed out the capacity of the country in developing food industries, asserting: Iran is considered one of the prominent food industry countries, which in addition to producing high-quality products, manufactures and presents advanced equipment to the global markets.

Sattari introduced halal (kosher) food and drink as one of the potential capacities of role-playing of Iranian companies, which requires attention and investment in this section. He continued: the Halal industry has had a significant growth in the past few years, in a way that the turnover in this industry will reach 1914 billion dollars by 2021.

He also mentioned: there will be a 9.3% growth in the turnover of Halal medications section, reaching from 78 billion dollars in 2015 to 132 billion dollars in 2021. In addition, the turnover of Halal cosmetic products will reach to 81 billion dollars in 2021 from 56 billion dollars.

Head of the knowledge-based economy and culture-building technologies development headquarter stated that the entrance of mostly political challenges and approaches into the area of food and drug not only damages this field but also concerns the people. Therefore, the specific topics of the food and drug area must be discussed in scientific gatherings.

The vice president for science and technology affairs also reminded the rich and original culture of Iran in the area of spiritual and mental food topics.

Appreciation of Efforts of the Late Dr. Mahmoud Sheikh Zeinoddin

In this ceremony, which was held in the presence of the vice president for science and technology affairs, minister of health, head of Food and Drug Administration and deputy of innovation and commercialization, the family of the late Dr. Mahmoud Sheikh Zeinoddin were honored due to the efforts of Dr. Sheikh Zeinoddin in the area of establishment of a national innovation system and development of technologies in the field of food industries.

Granting Safety and Health Badges to Top Manufacturers

In the final section of the ceremony, the top manufacturers received the national sign of safety and health.

In addition, the minister of health and the vice president for science and technology affairs appreciated the efforts of a food and safety supervisor, who has performed his duties perfectly and was hurt during his duties.