A note on what this is. This is a layout checklist written by a packaging studio, not legal advice. Every rule below is taken from the published SFDA and GSO documents named next to it. The regulations change, the Arabic text prevails over any translation, and your product may sit under additional category standards. Verify the current edition on sfda.gov.sa and with whoever handles your registration before anything goes to the printer.
Which regulations govern the label?
Three documents do most of the work for a designer:
- SFDA.FD/GSO 9:2022, "Labeling of prepackaged food stuffs". Edition 4, approved October 2022, replacing the 2013 edition. Amendment 1 of April 2025 added two things worth knowing: electronic codes such as QR may carry the mandatory data in addition to the printed label, never instead of it, and the rule against implying a product has special features that similar products also have was tightened.
- SFDA.FD/GSO 2233, nutritional labelling. Enforced since April 2021. It defines the nutrition facts panel.
- SFDA.FD 2333, nutrition and health claims. What you may and may not say on the front.
SFDA's own food clearance conditions also cite GSO 150-1 for expiry periods and GSO 2055-1 for halal. Those two decide numbers and certificates, not layout, so they are outside this checklist.
What has to be on the pack?
GSO 9 lists the mandatory data. In layout terms, these are the elements you place before you place anything else:
| Element | What the regulation asks for | Layout decision |
|---|---|---|
| Name of the food | The true name, not only the brand | Front, with the net contents in the same field of vision (GSO 9 requires the two together) |
| Net contents | Metric units; drained weight for foods packed in liquid | Same panel as the name, never split across faces |
| Ingredients | Descending order by weight, under the heading "ingredients" | Back panel; keep the heading, do not restyle it into a brand phrase |
| Allergens | Cereals with gluten, crustacea, eggs, fish, peanuts and soy, tree nuts, milk, sulphite at 10 ppm or more, celery, mustard, sesame, molluscs, lupin | Emphasised inside the ingredients list; a "contains" line is common practice |
| Animal origin | Declared where an ingredient is of animal origin | Sits with the ingredients |
| Manufacturer or packer | Name and address | Back or base panel |
| Country of origin | Required; must be permanent | Print it in the artwork, do not rely on a sticker |
| Production and expiry dates | Both. Printed, embossed or stamped by the producer only. No date stickers. One set of dates per pack | A defined print zone with plain background and enough space for the coder, on a face the retailer's staff can find |
| Storage conditions | Where shelf life depends on them | Next to the dates |
| Lot identification | Permanently marked, in code or clear | Same print zone as the dates |
| Nutrition facts | Per GSO 2233: energy, fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, fibre, sugars, added sugar, protein, per 100 g/ml or per serving. Single-ingredient foods are exempt | A fixed-format table; reserve the space early, it is the largest block on most back panels |
Packs under 10 square centimetres get partial relief, which matters for sachets and single-serve formats. Check the exact exemption for your format.
Arabic first: what does the language rule actually say?
SFDA's clearance conditions quote GSO 9 directly: the label and its accompanying information must be in Arabic, and if another language is used alongside it, everything in the other language must match the Arabic. Two consequences for layout:
- Arabic is the primary text, English is the parallel. The regulation does not publish a "prominence" ratio, so we could not verify any rule that Arabic must be larger. What it does require is that the Arabic is complete and the English says the same thing. Our practice is to set the two as equals and lead with Arabic, because that is what the Saudi shelf reads first.
- Arabic stickers are a last resort with conditions. An Arabic supplementary sticker is allowed only if it is a single sticker supplied by the manufacturer, placed next to the original label, irremovable, and does not hide or contradict anything. For a brand designing its own pack there is no reason to be in that situation. Print the Arabic.
Dates: why the artwork needs a print zone
This is the rule that most often surprises brands coming from other markets. Production and expiry dates must be applied by the producer, directly on the pack or its original label, by printing, embossing or irremovable ink. Adding a sticker for the dates is not permitted. The format is day-month-year when the shelf life is under three months and month-year when it is longer, and the expiry may be worded as "expiration date", "best before", "consume until" or "best until ... from production date".
For the designer that means a clearly defined date zone in the artwork: flat colour, no pattern, enough width for the longest wording in both languages, positioned where the inkjet or thermal coder on the line can reach it. Retailers matter here too: USDA's 2026 review of Saudi retail notes that a high share of Saudi food retailers return unsold product to the supplier after the printed expiry date for reimbursement. The date is read constantly. Make it findable.
What is voluntary, and what is restricted?
- Front-of-pack traffic light. SFDA.FD 42/2018 defines a colour-coded front panel for energy, fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt. It was made voluntary in 2018, and the 2021 draft to make it mandatory was withdrawn in 2022. You may use it; you are not required to.
- QR codes. Since the 2025 amendment, a code can carry the mandatory data as a supplement. It cannot replace any printed element. Design the QR as an extra, not as the place the ingredients live.
- Halal. A halal logo or claim needs a certificate from a body designated by the Saudi Halal Center, and any halal, organic or quality logo needs proof behind it. Do not put a halal mark on the artwork because the client "assumes" the product qualifies.
- Quality-system logos. GSO 9 does not allow management-system marks such as ISO logos on the label.
- Claims. GSO 2333 permits only the claims in its listed table. No weight-loss, no disease prevention or treatment, no doctor endorsements, no "wholesome" or "healthful". If a claim is not in the table, it is not on the front.
- Legibility. The regulation requires mandatory statements to be clearly visible and easily legible under normal conditions of purchase and use. We could not verify a published minimum letter height for GSO 9:2022, and figures circulating online have no official source. Set your own floor conservatively and test it on a printed proof at arm's length.
Before print: the checklist
- Arabic complete for every mandatory element; English matches it word for word in meaning.
- Food name and net contents together in one field of vision.
- Ingredients descending by weight; allergens emphasised; animal origin declared.
- Nutrition facts in GSO 2233 format, or a documented exemption.
- Manufacturer or packer name and address; country of origin printed, not stickered.
- A print zone for production date, expiry date and lot, in the required date format, with no sticker anywhere in the plan.
- Storage conditions next to the dates where shelf life depends on them.
- No halal, organic or quality logo without the certificate in hand; no ISO marks; no claims outside GSO 2333.
- QR, if any, supplementary only.
- The current editions checked on sfda.gov.sa, and the label reviewed by the person who handles SFDA registration, since importers register each product and its label before it enters the market.
How we handle this
We lay out the mandatory blocks first, in Arabic and English, and build the brand around them. The client supplies the approved text and certificates; we make the pack legible, compliant and still worth picking up. That is the difference between a label that passes and a pack that sells. See it in our food and beverage packaging work, read the wider F&B packaging guide, or, if your product is going into the Kingdom, start with the Saudi Arabia page and send us the label you have. We will tell you what moves.
Frequently asked questions
Which regulation covers food labels in Saudi Arabia?
SFDA.FD/GSO 9:2022, the Gulf technical regulation for labelling of prepackaged foodstuffs, edition 4 with a 2025 amendment, together with GSO 2233 for nutrition labelling and SFDA.FD 2333 for nutrition and health claims. The Arabic text of the regulation prevails.
Does a food label in Saudi Arabia have to be in Arabic?
Yes. The label and accompanying information must be in Arabic. Another language may appear alongside it only if all the information in that language matches the Arabic. Arabic stickers are allowed only under strict conditions and are not a substitute for a printed Arabic label.
Can I put the expiry date on a sticker?
No. Production and expiry dates must be printed, embossed or stamped on the pack or its original label by the producer. Date stickers are not permitted, and a pack may carry only one set of dates.
Is the traffic-light nutrition label mandatory in Saudi Arabia?
No. SFDA.FD 42/2018 defines a front-of-pack traffic-light format, but it is voluntary. A 2021 draft to make it mandatory was withdrawn in 2022. The nutrition facts panel under GSO 2233 is what is required.