SFDA Shelf Life Rules & Expiry Dates in Saudi Arabia
Learn SFDA shelf life rules for food in Saudi Arabia, including expiry dates, stability evidence, storage conditions, packaging and import compliance.
8/12/20266 min read
SFDA Shelf Life Rules and Expiry Dates in Saudi Arabia
Reviewed by: Saudi Food Registration Regulatory Team – Food Labeling, Shelf Life and Import Compliance
Understanding SFDA shelf life rules is essential for manufacturers, exporters and importers placing food products on the Saudi market.
Shelf life, production dates, expiry dates, storage conditions and packaging must describe one technically consistent product. Incorrect or unsupported information can lead to registration questions, artwork corrections, relabeling or shipment-clearance delays.
This guide explains the main shelf-life and expiry-date checks businesses should complete before approving packaging or shipping food to Saudi Arabia.
What Does Shelf Life Mean for Food Products?
Shelf life is the period during which a food product is expected to remain safe and suitable when stored under its declared conditions.
Depending on the product, shelf-life assessment may consider:
Microbiological safety
Chemical stability
Nutrient retention
Sensory quality
Physical condition
Packaging integrity
Storage temperature
Distribution conditions
Product performance after opening
The declared shelf life should remain consistent across:
Product specification
Shelf-life evidence
Label artwork
Registration information
Production records
Certificates
Commercial shipment documents
A shelf-life period should not be selected only for commercial convenience or copied from a similar product without technical assessment.
Which Saudi Standards Address Food Shelf Life?
The Saudi Food and Drug Authority identifies two principal references related to food shelf life:
SFDA.FD 150-1: Expiration dates for food products—mandatory expiry periods
SFDA.FD 150-2: Expiration dates for food products—voluntary or guiding expiry periods
The corresponding GSO references are:
GSO 150-1:2013, covering mandatory expiry periods
GSO 150-2:2013, covering guiding expiry periods
General prepackaged-food labeling requirements should also be assessed under the applicable version of GSO 9 and any product-specific technical regulation.
The correct requirement depends on the food category. Businesses should not apply one shelf-life period, date format or expiry term to every product.
What Is the Difference Between Expiry Date and Best Before?
Expiry terminology should be selected according to the nature of the product and the applicable technical regulation.
The terms are not interchangeable merely because one is preferred in another market.
The assessment should consider:
Whether the date relates primarily to product safety or quality
The product category
Applicable mandatory or guiding expiry periods
Storage conditions
Product-specific standards
The meaning communicated in Arabic and other label languages
Using unsuitable terminology can create inconsistencies between the product category, shelf-life evidence and final label.
The terminology should therefore be confirmed before the artwork is finalized.
Are Production and Expiry Dates Required on Every Food?
Date-marking requirements depend on the food category and applicable technical regulation.
Before approving the artwork, verify:
Whether production and expiry dates are required
Which expiry terminology applies
The required date components
The required order or presentation
Arabic labeling requirements
Date placement and legibility
Whether the date may be printed directly or referenced elsewhere
Consistency with the declared shelf life
Any product-specific exemption or additional requirement
Do not assume that one date format applies universally to every food.
The final presentation should be confirmed against the requirements applicable to the specific product.
How Should Shelf Life Be Supported?
The evidence required to support shelf life depends on:
Product category
Formula
Ingredient risks
Manufacturing process
Packaging
Storage conditions
Distribution conditions
Intended shelf life
Conditions after opening
Depending on the product, supporting evidence may include:
Real-time shelf-life studies
Accelerated studies where technically appropriate
Microbiological testing
Chemical and physical analysis
Sensory assessments
Nutrient-retention data
Packaging-integrity testing
Packaging-compatibility evidence
Storage and distribution assessments
The evidence should cover the final commercial formula and packaging.
Results from another flavour, formula, package size, packaging material or manufacturing site should not be reused without a documented technical assessment.
Insufficient or mismatched evidence may lead to additional questions or a request for further justification.
Real-Time and Accelerated Shelf-Life Studies
Real-Time Studies
Real-time studies evaluate the product under its intended storage conditions throughout the proposed shelf life.
Depending on the product, testing intervals may assess:
Microbiological safety
Moisture or water activity
Acidity or pH
Oxidation
Nutrient levels
Physical stability
Sensory characteristics
Package integrity
The study conditions should reflect the declared storage instructions and commercial packaging.
Accelerated Studies
Accelerated studies expose products to controlled conditions intended to increase the rate of relevant deterioration.
These studies may support product development or preliminary shelf-life assessment, but they are not automatically suitable for every food or every failure mechanism.
The study design should explain:
Why accelerated testing is appropriate
Which parameters are being monitored
How the accelerated conditions relate to normal storage
What model or technical reasoning supports the conclusion
Whether real-time confirmation will also be maintained
Accelerated results should not be used as a universal substitute for product-specific real-time evidence.
Match Shelf Life to the Final Commercial Product
Shelf-life evidence should relate to the product that will actually be manufactured, registered and shipped.
Confirm that the tested product matches the final:
Formula
Ingredient suppliers where technically relevant
Manufacturing process
Manufacturing site
Package material
Closure system
Pack size
Storage condition
Label instructions
Testing an earlier product-development version may not support the final commercial product.
For example, changing from glass to flexible plastic packaging can affect oxygen, moisture, light exposure and product stability. A previous shelf-life conclusion should not automatically be retained after such a change.
Packaging Can Affect the Declared Shelf Life
Packaging is part of the shelf-life system.
The review should consider:
Food-contact suitability
Oxygen and moisture barriers
Light protection
Closure integrity
Seal performance
Resistance to transport conditions
Compatibility with acidic, fatty or dry foods
Suitability for frozen, chilled or ambient storage
Performance throughout the declared shelf life
Changes to packaging material, supplier, closure, dimensions or format should pass through regulatory and quality change control.
A packaging change may require:
Updated compatibility evidence
Additional stability testing
Revised storage conditions
Label changes
Registration-impact assessment
Storage Conditions Must Match the Evidence
The label’s storage instructions should reflect the conditions used to establish the shelf life.
Examples may include:
Store in a cool, dry place
Protect from direct sunlight
Keep refrigerated
Keep frozen
Refrigerate after opening
Consume within a specified period after opening
Avoid using vague storage wording when the product requires a defined temperature or handling condition.
The storage statement should remain consistent across:
Shelf-life study
Product specification
Label
Registration record
Shipping instructions
Warehouse controls
Distributor instructions
A shelf-life study conducted under one condition may not support a product distributed under materially different conditions.
Shelf Life After Opening
Some products require a separate assessment after the package is opened or prepared.
Factors affecting in-use shelf life can include:
Exposure to air
Consumer handling
Refrigeration
Repeated opening
Contamination risk
Dilution or reconstitution
Changes in texture or composition
Where applicable, the label should provide clear instructions such as:
Refrigerate after opening
Consume within a stated period
Keep the container tightly closed
Use immediately after preparation
The period after opening should be technically supported and should not conflict with the product’s general expiry date.
What If the Declared Shelf Life Is Not Adequately Supported?
A shelf life that appears inconsistent with the product category, formula, process, packaging or storage conditions may require further justification.
The review may identify a need to:
Provide additional technical evidence
Repeat testing using the final commercial product
Revise the declared storage conditions
Reassess the packaging
Correct the specification or label
Revise the declared shelf life
The appropriate action depends on the product and the specific compliance gap.
Reformulation, rejection or a reduced shelf life should not be presented as automatic outcomes.
Check Remaining Shelf Life Before Shipment
The total declared shelf life is not the only consideration before import.
Manufacturers and importers should also assess the product’s remaining shelf life when it reaches Saudi Arabia.
Before shipment, confirm:
Production date
Expiry date
Total declared shelf life
Remaining shelf life
Expected transport duration
Customs and clearance time
Warehouse and distribution time
Customer or retailer acceptance requirements
Storage conditions during transit
A product can have a technically valid expiry date but still create commercial or clearance risk when too little shelf life remains upon arrival.
Common Shelf-Life and Date-Labeling Mistakes
Common mistakes include:
Applying one date format to every food category
Using expiry terminology without checking the applicable standard
Declaring a shelf life without suitable evidence
Testing a different formula or packaging configuration
Showing conflicting dates across labels and documents
Using unclear, incomplete or illegible date codes
Failing to reassess shelf life after a formula change
Retaining the same shelf life after changing packaging
Using storage conditions that do not match the study
Ignoring the period after opening
Shipping products with insufficient remaining shelf life
Final SFDA Shelf Life Checklist
Before registration, artwork approval or shipment, confirm that:
The applicable shelf-life standard has been identified
Product-specific requirements have been checked
The proposed shelf life is technically supported
Testing covers the final commercial formula
Testing covers the final packaging
Storage conditions match the evidence
Production and expiry information is presented correctly
Arabic and English date information is consistent
The same shelf life appears in every controlled document
Packaging changes have been assessed
The period after opening is addressed where applicable
Remaining shelf life has been checked before shipment
The commercial shipment matches the registered product
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Accurate Shelf-Life Labeling Supports Saudi Market Access
Shelf-life compliance is not achieved by printing an expiry date alone.
The declared period must align with the product formula, packaging, storage conditions, technical evidence, label, registration information and commercial shipment.
Completing these checks before artwork approval and shipment can reduce avoidable registration questions, relabeling, product holds and clearance delays.
Need support reviewing shelf-life evidence or expiry labeling for Saudi Arabia?
Speak with our regulatory team or use the chatbot in the bottom right corner before approving the final artwork or releasing the commercial shipment.