The Gulf Standard GSO 9/2007 is the current legislation regulating the labeling of food commodities in the UAE. According to the current regulatory framework, there are no restrictions on imports of food, except for some specific restrictions that apply mainly to products such as pork and alcohol (which can be imported only by authorized distributors). Since 2008 the local government has established that the official language for the labeling of food products is Arabic. Therefore, pursuant to the above legislation, a series of mandatory information must be written on the labels of products intended for import, among which the list of ingredients in Arabic (the Arabic text can be printed on a sticker, it needn’t be part of the original packaging) as well as in English or Italian, or both, depending on the origin of the product in question.
A reference to the production and expiry dates is also required, (dd / mm / year), and cannot be handwritten but must be printed on the box; the packaging must also contain the country of origin along with the name and address of the manufacturer / exporter / distributor. The list of ingredients must indicate the absence of any alcohol content. Finally, we should remember that an Ethics Committee composed of Muslim supervisors, qualified in Islamic doctrine regarding food, must issue the “Halal Certification”. In general terms, all foods are considered Halal, except meat from animals that were already dead at the time of slaughter, blood, pork and meat from animals slaughtered without following the corresponding religious ritual.
(Bologna Office Linda Tontodonati – 0039(0)51 2750020)
