For companies aiming to export their food and beverage products to Saudi Arabia, complying with specific regulations is essential. This article outlines the necessary rules and regulations that you need to know in terms of certifications, packaging and labelling before you can export food products to Saudi Arabia.

1. Country of Origin Certificate and Other Certifications

When importing food products into Saudi Arabia, it is crucial to understand the Country of Origin (COO) certification requirements. If a food product undergoes processing in a second country, altering its nature, the processing country becomes the COO.

Mislabeling a product’s origin is strictly prohibited and can lead to severe penalties. For example, rice imported from France but packaged in Saudi Arabia should be labelled as “rice, product of France, packed in Saudi Arabia by XXX Company.”

An original COO certificate is mandatory for exporting to Saudi Arabia. This certificate must be legalized by the Chamber of Commerce in the country where the goods were manufactured, not just shipped. The COO must be clearly marked on all imported goods in Arabic or English, using permanent methods such as printing, engraving, or embossing. Removable stickers are acceptable only if they cannot be detached.

Non-compliance with these requirements can result in re-exportation or destruction of shipments at the importer’s expense. In certain cases, non-compliant shipments may be corrected within two weeks, subject to fines. Exporters should consult with their Saudi partners to ensure compliance with COO requirements and formatting.

The SFDA Food Consignment Certification Programme is mandatory for food products from specified Mandated Countries of Supply, detailed at the SFDA‘s website. For other countries, participation in the Programme is voluntary but highly recommended to facilitate quicker customs clearance at Saudi ports and borders. Uncertified consignments may undergo rigorous customs inspections and testing, risking rejection if non-compliant.

Certain products require an import permit for customs clearance in Saudi Arabia, though this is not necessary for obtaining a Certificate of Conformity (CoC). The SFDA (Saudi Food and Drug Authority) and MEWA (Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture) issue these permits.

SFDA Issues Import Permits for:

• Poultry meat and products, including frozen, chilled, canned, processed, and semi-manufactured items.
• Fish and other aquatic products of animal origin, including frozen, chilled, canned, processed, and semi-manufactured items.
• Table eggs and products, including liquid eggs, egg yolks, and egg powder.

MEWA Issues Import Permits for:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables

2- Packaging and Labelling Requirements

Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries adhere to GSO standards (09/2013 and 1502/2013) for labelling pre-packaged foods and determining shelf life.

Labels must be in Arabic or include an Arabic translation, detailing the product name, packer’s name, COO, ingredients, usage instructions, and shelf life. Safety instructions must also be in Arabic or both Arabic and English.

Shelf life can only be shown by clear and unambiguous production and expiration dates.

The use of any of the following statements for expressing expiration date is permissible: Expiration Date, Use by (date), Fit for (from the day of production), Use Before (date)

Sell by date (for products with an expiration period exceeding three months).

The production and expiration dates should be declared on the label in an uncoded manner:

• Day-Month-Year: for foodstuffs with an expiration period less than three months.
• Month-Year: for foodstuffs with an expiration period exceeding three months.

Dates must be printed directly on the package by the producer, with stickers not allowed. There should be no more than one production or expiration date on the same package. Both dates must not be subject to deletion, change, or deceit.

Additional Label Requirements include:

• Prominent display of the product name.
• Ingredients listed in descending order of proportion.
• Additives identified by “E” number and group name.
• Source of animal fats (e.g., beef, buffalo).
• Declaration of ingredients known to cause hypersensitivity.
• Net content in metric units.
• Production and expiry dates.
• Country of origin.
• Manufacturer’s contact details.
• Special storage and preparation instructions, if any.
• Lot identification.
• Nutritional declaration.

The standard also addresses the labelling of irradiated food and the language used. Specific nutritional labelling requirements include detailed information about the product’s vitamin and mineral content, nutritive value per 100 grams, and proper use and storage.

The revised GSO nutritional standard (TR 2233/2012) mandates the declaration of nutritional information on pre-packaged foods intended for direct consumption or after heating:

• Essential elements such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, dietary fibers, and energy.
• Values of added vitamins, mineral salts, or dietary elements.
• Nutritional information in international units (grams, mg, ug, IU) and kilocalories for energy values.
• Health claims must be true and supported by certificates confirming the claim.

The GCC regulations also require labels on food products containing GMO ingredients to clearly state this information.

Nutritional labelling Labels for specialty foods, such as diet, health and baby foods, must contain detailed information about the product’s vitamin and mineral contents, nutritive value per 100 grams and proper use and storage.

The mandatory inclusion of Nutrition Information based on SFDA.FD 2233 is applicable for all Pre-packaged Food Products with the exception of the following:

• Spices and seasonings
• Fresh fruits and vegetables (including mixes)
• Fresh and chilled meat, poultry, and fish (excluding products with spices, water, or cooked)
• Single-nutrient products like rice, tea, coffee, and sugar
• Bottled drinking water and mineral water (must clarify mineral content percentage)
• Food products in small packs (less than 25cm²)
• Food additives
• Food for further processing and not sold directly to the consumer
• External packages of food sold through self-service with separate nutritional labels or printed on the original package

Understanding and adhering to these detailed requirements will ensure a smoother market entry and help maintain the integrity of your brand in the competitive Saudi Arabian market.

• Food clearance procedures

Before importing food products, the importer must check:

1. Registration of the importing establishment at the Food Import Registration System (FIRS).
2. Registration of imported products and materials at (FIRS) system.
3. A licensed warehouse has to adhere with the requirements of the SFDA (Excluding domestic factories that import raw materials for processing their products, as well as importers who have maximum number of (5) consignments a year and a total of 2000 kg), Provided that the importer shall sign the related pledge form and submit it to the SFDA.

Food products should be registered with SFDA prior to exporting them to KSA. The Registration of Food products is usually done by the importer in KSA. Registered Food products are provided with a unique Product Registration Number by SFDA in the format “X-X-X-DDMMYY-XXXXX”.

General required documents for food clearance to be presented to the authority at the port of entry:

	Document (Paper/Electronic)	Notes
1	Customs Declaration (Bill of Entry)	Apply to FASAH platform
2	Copy of Certificate of Origin	Document issued by the country of export or manufacture
3	Copy of Commercial Invoice	Document issued by the exporting company
4	Copy of Packing Declaration & Packing List	Document issued by the exporting company
5	Copy of The Bill of Lading	Document issued by the carrier
6	Copy of Health Certificate
7	Copy of Export Validity Certificate For Gulf Food Materials And Products	Products  of Gulf origin
8	Certificate of Conformity (COC)	– Optional for all countries –  Mandatory for some countries
9	A Copy of Import Permit For Poultry And Poultry Products, Fish And Aquatic Products of Animal Origin And Table Egg And Its Products.

General Notes:

• Imported food products shall comply with the SFDA technical regulations and requirements.
• Compliance with all updated circulars published at the SFDA official website.
• Follow food transport to the Kingdom guidelines.
• Providing temperature monitor devices during transport. Read the and cold and frozen food guidelines.
• Original Halal certificate: For food products containing a component from an animal origin, and for any food product has the term ‘Halal” on its label.
• Certificate of Halal Slaughter
• Copy of Phytosanitary Certificate for cereals, agricultural crops and fresh vegetables and fruits.
• According to the technical regulation GSO 9 “Labeling of Prepackaged Food Stuffs”, when use any logo a special for quality or organic product…etc, must provide a proof of the validity of this claim.
• On the basis of the Food System and its Implementing Regulation issued by Resolution No. 98 of the Council of Saudi Food & Drug Authority dated 4.9.1439. And on the basis of the statement in Article 27 of the Regulation, “SFDA is authorized to take samples of food products free of charge to verify their compliance with the rules and regulations of the system, and if necessary, to test them in the SFDA laboratory or in other approved laboratories”. Article 43 states that “SFDA shall be entitled to cooperate with other government agencies or the private sector to perform the functions assigned to it under this system and its regulations”. However, the importer has to bear the cost of analysis and testing of the samples.
• Compliance with Circular No. 41072/a dated 21.5.1440 on the rules and requirements for import of meat, poultry, crustaceans and aquatic animals.

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