Article 8 of the Saudi Food Law
المادة 8 من نظام الغذاء · الفصل الثالث: التسجيل
The article requires every food establishment, including primary production facilities, to register with the Authority, and refers the registration conditions and procedures to the Regulations.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
على المنشآت الغذائية التسجيل لدى الهيئة، بما في ذلك مرافق الإنتاج الأولية، وتحدد اللائحة شروط التسجيل وإجراءاته.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 8 explained in plain English
This article imposes on food establishments an obligation to register with the Food and Drug Authority.
What is a food establishment? Under Article 1 it is any legal entity that carries out work relating to handling food during the stages of the food chain, with the exception of family home kitchens. This includes factories, warehouses, stores, transport companies and others who deal with food.
The article expressly provides that the obligation covers primary production facilities. Primary production under the definitions includes producing and raising farm animals before slaughter, farming primary products, milking and harvesting, hunting animals, fish and crustaceans, and harvesting and gathering wild products.
As for the registration conditions and procedures, the law does not state them, but the article refers them to the Implementing Regulations, so one must refer to them to know the requirements.
This provision connects to Article 9, which also requires the establishment to register its food products with the Authority, so registration covers the establishment itself and its products.
Registration enables the Authority to know who works in the food chain, just as Article 7 requires the Authority's approval to clear imported food.
Practical example
Salem owns a poultry farm in Al-Qassim and sells its output to wholesale shops. Because raising farm animals is primary production, his farm is among the primary production facilities covered by the obligation to register with the Authority.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 8 of the Saudi Food Law
Are farms required to register with the Food and Drug Authority?
Yes. The article provides that the registration obligation covers primary production facilities.
What are the conditions for registering a food establishment?
The article refers the registration conditions and procedures to the Implementing Regulations of the law.
More articles on Registering Food Establishments and Products
- Article 9
The article requires a food establishment to register its food products with the Authority, and refers the registration conditions, procedures and the materials exempt from registration to the Regulations.
على المنشأة الغذائية تسجيل منتجاتها الغذائية لدى الهيئة، وتحدد اللائحة شروط التسجيل، وإجراءاته، والمواد التي تستثنى من التسجيل.
- Article 10
The article requires laboratories that deal with food to register with the Authority, and refers the registration conditions and procedures to the Regulations.
على المختبرات التي تتعامل مع الغذاء التسجيل لدى الهيئة، وتحدد اللائحة شروط التسجيل، وإجراءاته.
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.