Does a food label in the UAE have to be in Arabic?

Yes. A 2025 US Department of Agriculture report on the UAE cites UAE.S GSO 9:2019. It says labels must be in Arabic, and information in any other language must be identical to the Arabic.

Can I use a sticker for the Arabic on my food pack?

Stickers may translate a label into Arabic, but they must be approved by UAE authorities before use and must not hide required information or be easy to remove. For your own brand, plan the Arabic on the pack itself.

Can a QR code replace information on a food label?

No. The 2022 amendment to GSO 9 says electronic codes may add information but not substitute for the written label.

Do pictures on the pack count under the labelling rules?

Yes. The amendment says a pack must not suggest it is another food or has special features similar products lack, whether in writing, pictures or any other method.

Does changing my pack design need a new label assessment?

For imported food, the FAS report says a label reassessment should be requested for any label amended after approval, including changes to the package, weight, label or barcode.

Is this page regulatory advice?

No. It is a design guide built from public sources. Confirm your final label with your importer, a food regulatory adviser and the assessing authority.

Arabic Food Label Design UAE: Design Around the Legal Block

Short answer: good Arabic food label design UAE packs start with the mandatory text, not the logo. A 2025 US Department of Agriculture report on UAE imports cites UAE.S GSO 9:2019. It says food labels must be in Arabic, and any other language on the label must be identical to the Arabic. A 2022 Gulf amendment adds two rules. A pack must not suggest it is a different food. A QR code may add information but never replace the written label. Design the mark, colour and hierarchy around that block. This is a design guide, not regulatory advice.

Our restaurant branding hub covers the menu, the cup and the sign. This page is narrower. It is about food packaging design Dubai brands need for a shelf or a delivery bag, where a bilingual food label has to carry a legal block in Arabic before it carries a brand.

What do UAE rules say about the language on a food label?

Arabic first, and any other language identical to it. That is the core rule for Arabic food label design UAE teams work to.

The US Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) published its FAIRS report for the UAE in November 2025. It says UAE.S GSO 9:2019 and its referenced standards set food labelling requirements. It lists "labels in Arabic", with information in another language "identical to that in Arabic".

The same report says stickers may be used to translate a label into Arabic. They must be approved by UAE authorities before use and included in the label assessment. A sticker must not hide required information, say anything different from the original label, or be easy to remove. For a brand designing its own pack, that is a clear signal: plan the Arabic on the pack, not on a sticker.

What must a UAE food label carry?

The report lists, in general, these items:

The product name, in a prominent position.
Ingredients in descending order of proportion.
A nutrition declaration.
Net quantity.
Name and address of the manufacturer, or the packer if different.
Country of origin.
Production and expiry dates, printed on the original label or primary packaging, not only on a sticker.
Storage conditions where they affect the date, and instructions for use.
A batch or lot number, and any mandatory warnings.

Dates have a set format too. For a shelf life of 3 months or less, the report says day/month/year. For a shelf life longer than 3 months, month/year is also accepted.

That is a lot of text in two languages. On a small pack it can take a large share of the surface. Measure it before you sketch a logo.

What does the 2022 Gulf amendment mean for design?

It covers pictures as well as words, and it limits what a QR code can do.

Item 4.1 of GSO 9:2022/Amd1:2022 covers how a packaged food is shown, "whether in writing, pictures, or any other method". The label must not indicate it is another food or link it to another product. It must not suggest special features that similar products do not have. Item 7.1.7 says electronic codes may provide the required data and other product details additionally, "not as a substitute" for the written label.

The GCC Standardization Organization approved that English translation on 22 April 2025, and the document states that the Arabic text is the official one if the two differ. Check the current text with your regulatory adviser before you quote a clause on a pack.

How do you design a bilingual pack around the legal block?

Write and measure the mandatory text first, then let the brand take the space that is left.

Write the legal copy first. Arabic and English together, checked against the current standard by whoever files the label assessment.
Set it at real size. Reserve that panel before anyone places the logo. A beautiful front that leaves no room for the back is not finished.
Give Arabic a real share of the layout. Arabic is a right to left script (W3C). A mirrored panel often reads better than one squeezed under the English.
Keep the pictures honest. The amendment counts images, not just words. An illustration should not suggest an ingredient or a food the pack does not contain.
Use QR codes for extras only. Recipes, sourcing stories, the brand film. Never the information the label must carry.
Plan changes in batches. The FAS report says a label amended after approval needs a reassessment. That includes changes to the package, weight, label or barcode. Every small redesign of an imported pack is paperwork, so group them.

What about health and nutrition claims?

They have their own standard. The FAS report names UAE.S GSO 2333:2019 for permitted health and nutrition claims on food. It says health claims on packaged food must be true and backed by certificates confirming the claim.

If the brand idea depends on a claim such as "high protein", settle whether you can make it before the design leans on it.

How does this apply to a food identity?

Snack Lab is a 2025 brand-identity concept for a Dubai food group, published on our project page. It has a goggles mark, hand-drawn lines and a green and yellow palette. Its applications include packaging, cups, delivery boxes and signage. It is a concept. It has not been through a label assessment, and this page makes no compliance claim about it.

The test for any pack like it is the one on this page. Does the mark still read once the Arabic and English panel has taken its share?

For the wider identity work, see brand identity in Dubai and branding in Dubai. This page will not tell you whether a specific label complies. That belongs with your importer, a food regulatory adviser and the assessing authority. When the legal panel is clear, talk to the studio about the brand around it.

Key takeaways

UAE food labels are in Arabic, and any other language must match the Arabic.
Write and measure the mandatory text first, then design the brand around it.
Pictures count as well as words, and a QR code adds to the label but never replaces it.
This is a design guide. Confirm compliance with your importer and a regulatory adviser.

Written by Allen Antony James, Co-founder of Storytellers, a storyteller-first studio based in Dubai, telling stories worldwide. Want help putting this into practice? See Branding in Dubai or tell us about your business.

Sources

Every claim in this guide links to its source. All sources were checked on 16 Oct 2026.

Arabic food label design UAE: build the brand around the legal block