SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, is calling on exporters and manufacturers of food products to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to be aware of changes to export certification rules by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA).
With effect from January 1, 2020, the KSA requires that all consignments of regulated food products exported to the country comply with new SFDA technical regulations and Gulf Standardization Organization (GSO)/Saudi Standards, Quality and Metrology Organization (SASO) standards through SFDA approved certification bodies.
As an approved certification body for the food program, SGS works with a growing number of exporters to issue Certificates of Conformity (CoC) and ensure shipments at Saudi ports and borders meet all applicable requirements.
Montserrat Martinez, Vice President, Trade Facilitation Services at SGS said: “Although two years into the new regulations, many food manufacturers are still unaware of the new requirements and face obstacles to the smooth customs clearance of their consignments at destination ports and borders.
“We have been assisting SFDA with its cosmetic and food products certification program for several years and our global teams are best placed to ease the process for organizations. Our teams guide organizations through the whole process, from document review and evaluation through sampling, testing and inspection to the issuing of CoC certification.”
Key certification changes affecting food exports:
• SFDA registration is mandatory for establishments exporting meats, fishery products, chicken, and honey products
• A Certificate of Conformity becomes mandatory for:
o Fresh fruit and vegetables from countries like Egypt, Jordan and India
o Tea and tea products from Sri Lanka
o Meat from Sudanese cows and sheep
o Egyptian vegetables, frozen and processed fruit, milk and milk products from approved entities only
The requirements for CoC:
• SFDA product registration
• Establishment registration (if applicable)
• Label compliance
• Manufacturer’s quality management system (QMS)
• Ingredient list and internal Certificate of Analysis
• Test reports from an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited lab
Find out more about SGS’s Saudi Arabia – SFDA Certificate of Conformity services.
For more information, please contact:
Sithara Hatim
Certification Center Manager
Trade Facilitation Services, SGS
Email: cp.media@sgs.com
About SGS
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