All You Need to Know About Packed Food Product Registration in the UAE

The Food Safety Department under Dubai Municipality ensures the highest standards of food safety by putting in place strict food product registration procedures. With Dubai being a renowned trading hub, it is necessary to adhere to all kinds of rules and regulations. All food items, including packaged food products, must be registered with the ZAD portal.

The UAE authorities established this platform to act as a seamless single-window administration for food product registration in UAE. It takes care of hygiene aspects like product packaging, halal, and import permissions.

Requirements to Register Food Products in UAE

As per the guidelines and regulations laid out by Dubai Municipality, product registration is mandatory for every food item being imported or re-exported. Mentioned below are the few requirements that must be fulfilled to ensure the entire process of Dubai municipality food registration goes smoothly:

• Comply with all the labelling requirements.
• Items should be approved by the Ministry of Health.
• Symbols and shapes that might be conceived inappropriately should not be used.
• You are not permitted to register food products containing alcohol, poppy seeds, or similar items.

Label Requirements for Food Product Registration in UAE

Some of the essential labelling requirements needed to continue with food product registration in UAE are mentioned below:

• Lot number
• Brand name
• Product barcode
• Country of origin
• Information of storage conditions
• Net weight or volume
• Display of nutritional information
• Summarised description of the food product
• Production and expiry dates of food ingredients 
• The information must be in both Arabic and English
• Name of the food manufacturer, packer, distributor or importer
• Declaration regarding any ingredient which can cause hypersensitivity or requires special instructions for usage

Note - If the language used for labelling is other than Arabic, minimum information like product name, ingredients, country of origin, storage and special conditions should be in Arabic.

Documents Required for Food Product Registration in the UAE

Documentation plays a crucial part in business setup in Dubai or other legal procedures. Listed below are the standard documents required for food product registration-

• Label image
• Ingredient list
• Barcode details
• Food additives (if any)
• Declaration of conformity
• Micro-biological report (if applicable)
• Halal certificate issued by an Islamic organisation which is approved by the  UAE authorities
• Free sale certificate (attested by the chamber of commerce from the country of origin and the UAE embassy)

Note: Additional documents may be requested by the authority while registering the product.

The process to Register Food Products in UAE

Food product registration in the UAE involves a specific process like completing the application process by submitting it along with the necessary documents. You also need to list the business with Dubai Municipality or appropriate authorities and create an account on the ZAD portal. A relevant business license is also required to be availed by paying the requisite fees. The entire process usually takes up to 2 months.

We advise you to seek the help of business consultants from Commitbiz LLC if you are considering food product registration in the UAE. We can help in navigating the involved legalities and streamline the process. Contact us to clear your doubts and get started!