ALKHOBAR, 25 July 2003 — The shelves of Saudi supermarkets are bulging with foodstuffs from around the world. Cheese from New Zealand, olives from Turkey, mustard from France, soy sauce from Korea — consumers can find an eclectic mix of goods at any Saudi grocery store. Despite the growth in the local food industries, as a desert nation, the importation of foodstuffs to Saudi Arabia remains a necessity. Using recommendations developed by the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO), the government has for decades had laws in place to regulate the importation of agricultural commodities and food products.
The Kingdom is a $5 billion market for food and agricultural goods and the number of producers vying for attention at Saudi supermarkets grows annually.
However, just because regulations are in place doesn’t mean that they are being followed or that local consumers know what the regulations are. At the most basic level, prepackaged food product labels on goods to be sold in Saudi Arabia should be in Arabic or include an Arabic language translation of the label. Labels must contain at minimum: the product name; packer’s name; country of origin or manufacture; listing of ingredients; instructions, where applicable, for the end use of the product and the shelf-life of the product. When one language or more is used in addition to the Arabic language, all information in the other languages on the food packages must be the same as the information written in the Arabic language. The complete list of ingredients must be in descending order of proportion, including additives permitted for use. Only one “sticker” providing all information in Arabic as written on the original label is allowed on a packaged food product, provided that the sticker does not cover and/or conceal the details on the original label. There no requirement for nutritional information to be listed on foodstuffs, unless the food is to be used for special dietary needs.
A visit to any local supermarket would show that numerous companies are violating Saudi food labeling regulations. For the purpose of a brief examination of this topic, Arab News compared the labeling on various brands of instant noodles. We found that most companies did not provide adequate Arabic translations of the information concerning flavorings and additives in their instant noodles — if they included such information at all. One manufacturer stated on its label that its chicken flavored noodles were “suitable for vegetarians,” but in Arabic it didn’t state exactly what flavoring the noodles contained. Many of the instant noodle packages listed nutrition information. Most of the nutrition information was in English but one company did list it in Arabic. Trying to compare the information was mind boggling. One package listed the noodles as having 17.2 grams of fat for 85 grams of noodles. Another package showed 3.1 grams of fat per 100 grams of noodles. A third package stated that its noodles had 23.79 grams of fat per 100 grams of noodles and none of that fat was saturated. Nutrition information on the other noodles showed that they were loaded with saturated fat. Since all the instant noodle packages listed essentially the same ingredients on their labels, the discrepancy in the nutrition information was bizarre. It’s important to remember though that printing inaccurate nutrition information is not illegal, as there is no Saudi labeling requirement in regards to it. A representative from the SASO office in Jeddah stated that while standards are set by SASO, inspection of the labeling and testing of packaged food items is the province of the Ministry of Commerce. The SASO representative said that the government is in the process of starting a Food and Drug Administration, which should handle nutrition issues in regards to foods. The bottom line is that not all food producers are equally concerned about providing quality products and accurate nutrition information to Saudi consumers. Looking for a company in the local market that was committed to both, Arab News contacted Sadco Group (sadcogroup.com).
Founded in 1974, Sadco is the largest egg producer in the Gulf. Its hens lay over 1 million eggs daily. “As for as the quality of our eggs, Sadco is certified ISO 9002 under the international quality assurance system. In addition, we comply with SASO standards, the American Military’s standards and Saudi Aramco standards,” said Sadco marketing manager Rizkallah Kourieh. “Consumers should look for international standards markings on food labels so they are assured of the best quality. Sadco operates its own laboratory and quality control system, so recently we were able to begin voluntary nutrition labeling of our eggs.” Dr. Vincent Machado, head, Sadco quality assurance, explained that providing nutrition labeling on foods is a straight-forward task once certain controls are in place.
“We control the production of our eggs from A to Z so we can ensure that the eggs laid meet uniform quality standards,” he said. “We sent samples of our eggs to labs outside Saudi Arabia and we also tested the eggs at our own labs. Then based on the findings, we were able to provide accurate nutrition labeling. We constantly monitor our egg production so that we comply with the nutrition information we have printed on our egg cartons.” But why does Sadco provide nutrition information in terms of 100 grams of eggs instead of per egg?
“It might seem confusing. The US standard is to give nutrition information in terms of portion size. In this case that would be 1 egg or about 50 grams,” Machado commented. “However, grade A large eggs can be 55-65 grams in Saudi Arabia. We wanted consumers to have a more exact measurement. That is why we chose 100 grams. In addition, many countries now use the 100-gram standard. Even Saudi Arabia in regards to nutrition information on foods for special diets, relies on the 100-gram standard.”
Concern about food labeling is a new concept in the Kingdom, but it is an important issue. Obesity is rampant in Saudi Arabia. Diabetes and heart disease are out of control. The incidence of cancer is rising. Becoming more aware of exactly what we are eating could help save us from a miserable future.