There are many rules and laws that govern Food Exports to Saudi Arabia. Exporters of products must obtain a Halal Certificate and other testing and inspection certificates that provide information about the composition, content, and storage information of the product.

Products such as food, medicine, cosmetics, animal feed, pesticides, and medical equipment are subject to SFDA regulations, and each different product category may need to provide different types of certificates.

Import procedures are subject to Article 7 of the KSA Food Law, which states that no food shall be allowed into KSA unless approved by the SFDA. Article 3, Paragraph 4 of the same Law states that countries exporting food to Saudi Arabia must comply with the import conditions and procedures imposed by the SFDA.

SFDA has created a platform where product categories and related regulations are shared to ensure food safety and facilitate import procedures. Products containing ‘trans fats’ and ‘partially hydrogenated oils’ are subject to high levels of regulation and therefore must be tested. In addition, products such as raw honey, artificial honey and foods containing added sugar are subject to certain composition tests before import.

This article will cover Food Imports and related legislation. Food SFDA means ‘any material (raw, fresh, processed or partially processed) intended for human consumption. It will also include any substance used in the manufacturing preparation or processing of food.’ Another important concept is: ‘Food Chain: the different stages food goes through from primary production to human consumption, including import, export, manufacture, preparation and processing, packaging, storage, transportation, possession, distribution, offering for sale, and sale’.

Foods intended for consumption in Saudi Arabia must have a ‘Halal Food Certificate’. Obtaining a Halal Certificate means that the food is allowed to be consumed by eating, drinking, injecting or inhaling according to Islamic rules and must comply with the requirements set out in the SFDA.FD/GSO 2055-1 and SFDA.FD/GSO 993 standards.

Halal Certificate: Halal Certificate confirms that the business has received Halal Certificate from Halal Certification Bodies (HCBs) recognized by Halal Center-SFDA according to the halal standards and regulations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.