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19 Focus International Trade Statistics 2013 Anne Friederike Paul Head of Legal Department at German Emirati Joint Council for Industry and Commerce AHK Dubai With imports worth USD 16 billion Published by World Trade Organisation WTO 15th 16bn The UAE was the 15th biggest importer of food in 2012 of entry and have to be issued from a governmental entity in the country of origin Original invoice bill of lading and packing list are required along with the above referenced certificates to meet documentation requirements of the Customs Authority for the release of the shipment The Islamic society issuing the Halal certificate has to be approved by UAE Authorities Halal and health certificates need to be notarised by the UAE Embassy or Consulate Labelling of Food Products Most major municipalities in the UAE offer pre shipment approvals for labels and products for facilitating food product imports This means that copies of food labels can be sent directly or through the importer to health officials for a review and registration at no cost This procedure is meant to facilitate the importation of products and reduce clearance time While the UAE has accepted English only labels in the past bilingual labels are now required Food labels must include the following details product and brand names production and expiry dates country of origin name and address of the manufacturer net weight in metric units and a list of ingredients and additives in descending order of importance All fats and oils used as ingredients must be specifically identified on the label Labels must be in Arabic only or Arabic English Arabic stickers are accepted and the production and expiry dates must be printed on the original manufactured installed label Arabic stickers and labels should be easily readable and show at least the following information Product description Name of the food The name shall identify the true nature of the food and should not be misleading or confusing to the consumer and has to be placed in a prominent position on the label the brand name has to be mentioned List of all ingredients Shall be in a descending order of ingoing weight proportions including a list of food additives to the product or their numerical codes with declaration of the foodstuff and ingredients which are known to cause hypersensitivity the source of the animal fats has to be mentioned too Country of origin The country of origin of the food shall be declared on the label if the food items underwent processing in a second country which may probably change its fundamental nature the country where the processing has taken place shall be considered as the country of origin for labelling purposes Net weight The net contents shall be declared by volume as for liquid foods by weight for solid foods and either by weight or volume for semi solid or viscous foods the drained weight of a packed food shall also be declared Nutritional Information In the case of foods catered for special dietary use the declaration of this information on the label is mandatory Name and address of the following The manufacturer or packer or distributor or importer or exporter or vendor shall be declared Lot or batch identification Date The date shall appear as i e Day Month Year for food products with a minimum durability of less than three months whereas date shall appear as i e Month Year for food products with a minimum durability of more than three months the expiration date shall be preceded by such phrases Best before accompanied by the date and Best before end in other cases Instructions for storage and use Any specific requirements pertaining to the storage conditions of the food shall be laid down on the label should the minimum durability be dependent thereupon instructions for use including reconstitution directives where applicable shall be indicated on the label if necessary for ensuring a correct and sound utilisation of the foodstuff Irradiated foods The labelling of a food which has been treated with ionising radiation shall include a written statement indicating such a treatment in close proximity to the food name in the case where an irradiated product is used as an ingredient this shall be set out in the list of ingredients Additional labelling Additional statements can be added provided that they are hard to be removed under normal conditions of food handling and shall neither conceal any information on the food label nor contain any alien information to that in the original label Apart from the above mentioned points there are many things to consider before importing food products into the UAE Given the high temperatures to which the food products are exposed the local authorities have to be very restrictive with food items for health and safety reasons Therefore it is essential that a company who would like to bring their products into the market is informed about the topics related to imports and labelling We are more than happy to assist with any questions on the topic