UAE Food Labeling Requirements 2026 — ESMA & MOIAT Compliance Guide

The United Arab Emirates has one of the most active food import and retail markets in the GCC — and one of the most layered regulatory environments. Products sold in the UAE must satisfy federal standards set by MOIAT (Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology) through ESMA (Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology), and in some cases also emirate-level approvals — most notably from Dubai Municipality.

This guide covers everything a food brand, importer, or manufacturer needs to know about UAE nutrition label compliance in 2026: the label format, mandatory nutrients, registration, Dubai Municipality approval, and Nutri-Mark.

1. Who Regulates Food Labeling in the UAE?

Unlike Saudi Arabia where SFDA is the single national authority, the UAE splits food regulation across federal and emirate bodies. Understanding which authority covers your product is the first step.

2. The Standard — UAE.S GSO 2233:2019

Like Saudi Arabia, the UAE applies UAE.S GSO 2233:2019 — the Gulf Standardisation Organisation's unified nutrition labelling standard. The label format is therefore largely the same across the GCC, though the registration and approval processes differ by country.

The UAE fully adopted UAE.S GSO 2233:2019, replacing the older GSO 9/2013 standard. Key requirements introduced by the new standard:

• Mandatory Added Sugar declaration (sub-row under Total Sugars)
• Mandatory per-serving AND per-100g dual columns
• Mandatory % Daily Value column using GCC reference values
• Full bilingual Arabic/English label with Arabic as primary language
• Energy in both kcal and kJ

3. Required Label Format

The UAE nutrition panel follows the same UAE.S GSO 2233:2019 three-column table as Saudi Arabia:

1. Nutrient name — English and Arabic
2. Per serving — declared serving size in metric units (g or ml)
3. Per 100g / 100ml — mandatory comparison column

A %DV column is required for most nutrients, calculated using GCC reference daily values — not US FDA values.

4. Mandatory Nutrients

The mandatory nutrient list under UAE.S GSO 2233:2019 is the same across the GCC. All of the following must appear on every label sold in the UAE:

5. Bilingual Arabic/English Requirements

All label text — including nutrient names, serving size declarations, footnotes, and manufacturer details — must appear in both Arabic and English. Arabic is the primary language and must be at least equal in size and prominence to English.

• Arabic text must be right-to-left (RTL)
• On bilingual labels, the Arabic section typically appears on one side and English on the other, or Arabic is listed first in each row
• The %DV footnote must appear in both languages
• Ingredient list must be in Arabic and English
• ESMA requires that Arabic is not smaller than English text at any point on the label

6. ESMA / MOIAT Product Registration

Packaged food products imported into or manufactured for sale in the UAE generally require registration with MOIAT through the ESMA system. This registration process assigns an ESMA registration number that must appear on the label.

Who needs ESMA registration?

• Importers of packaged food into the UAE
• UAE-based manufacturers of packaged food for retail
• Distributors acting as the responsible party for a foreign brand

How to register:

1. Register your company on the MOIAT / ESMA business portal and obtain an operator account

2. Prepare the product dossier: label artwork (Arabic + English), ingredient list, nutritional analysis, manufacturer certificate, and product specification sheet

3. Submit the dossier through the ESMA conformity system — the ECAS (Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme) portal

4. Pay the registration and conformity assessment fees (vary by product category)

5. ESMA review typically takes 15–45 business days for standard food products

6. Upon approval, you receive the ESMA/MOIAT registration number to print on the label

7. Dubai Municipality — The Extra Layer

If your products are sold within the emirate of Dubai — including Dubai's ports, free zones, supermarkets, and food service — you need to also satisfy Dubai Municipality (DM) Food Safety Department requirements.

Dubai Municipality operates alongside MOIAT/ESMA, not instead of it. You need both federal ESMA clearance and DM approval for Dubai distribution.

What Dubai Municipality checks:

• Label compliance — Arabic prominence, all mandatory declarations present
• Shelf life and storage conditions correctly declared
• Halal status correctly declared (if applicable)
• Manufacturer and importer details in Arabic and English
• Country of origin clearly stated
• No prohibited ingredients or additives under UAE food law

Dubai Municipality approval process:

1. Register your company on the Dubai Municipality Food Import Registration portal (dm.gov.ae)

2. Submit label artwork and product specifications for DM review

3. DM may request lab test reports for certain categories (dairy, meat, baby food)

4. Approval is issued per product — keep records for shelf inspections

8. Halal Certification and Labeling

Halal certification is not universally mandatory under UAE food law for all products — but in practice it is essential for mainstream retail distribution. Major UAE supermarket chains (Carrefour, Lulu, Spinneys, Union Coop) require halal certification for any meat, poultry, dairy, and processed food products containing animal-derived ingredients.

Key rules:

• If a product is labelled "Halal", it must carry certification from an ESMA-accredited halal certification body
• Self-declared halal claims without third-party certification are not accepted
• Pork and alcohol-containing products cannot be labelled halal and face additional restrictions on shelf placement
• The halal logo must be from a body on the ESMA approved halal certification bodies list

9. Emirate-by-Emirate Quick Reference

Each emirate has its own food authority that works alongside the federal MOIAT/ESMA system:

10. Nutri-Mark in the UAE

Nutri-Mark is the GCC-wide front-of-pack scheme. In the UAE it is currently voluntary but MOIAT/ESMA has signalled alignment with Saudi Arabia's adoption timeline, meaning mandatory implementation is being planned.

Nutri-Mark uses a traffic-light system (green/amber/red) for five nutrients per 100g: Energy, Total Fat, Saturated Fat, Total Sugar, and Sodium. Major UAE retailers increasingly display Nutri-Mark on-shelf, and some are beginning to request it from suppliers as a listing condition.

11. UAE Label Compliance Checklist

• ☐ Three-column format: Nutrient | Per Serving | Per 100g
• ☐ %DV column with GCC reference values (not US FDA)
• ☐ All 17 mandatory nutrients declared
• ☐ Added Sugars indented below Total Sugars
• ☐ Energy in both kcal and kJ
• ☐ Full bilingual Arabic/English — Arabic equally prominent
• ☐ Arabic text right-to-left
• ☐ ESMA / MOIAT registration number on label
• ☐ Country of origin in Arabic and English
• ☐ Manufacturer and UAE importer/distributor name and address
• ☐ Best before / expiry date format correct
• ☐ Allergen declarations present
• ☐ Halal certification logo (if applicable) from ESMA-accredited body
• ☐ Dubai Municipality approval obtained (if selling in Dubai)
• ☐ Nutri-Mark calculated and placed (if using front-of-pack)

12. UAE vs Saudi Arabia — Key Differences

If you are already compliant for Saudi Arabia, here is what changes for UAE:

• Registration authority: SFDA (Saudi) → MOIAT/ESMA (UAE)
• Registration number label: "SFDA registration number" → "MOIAT / ESMA registration number"
• Emirate layer: Saudi has no equivalent to Dubai Municipality — UAE adds this second layer
• Halal: More actively enforced in UAE retail; ESMA-accredited certification body required
• Label format: Identical — both use UAE.S GSO 2233:2019
• Language rules: Identical — both require Arabic primary, RTL