The United Arab Emirates (UAE) UAE Scheme for Control on Food Contact Materials (FCM) came into force under UAE cabinet resolution No. 21 for the year 2015[1]. Per the Scheme, all FCM must comply with UAE.S GSO 2231 which states the general requirements and other relevant technical/safety standards for the materials or articles intended to come into contact with food. THE GSO standards are adopted by most of the Gulf nations.
The Scheme also introduced labelling requirements for materials in contact with food.
List of applicable GSO standards under UAE Scheme for FCM regulation:
| Standard |
Title |
| UAE.S GSO 124 |
General requirements for fresh fruits and vegetables boxes |
| UAE.S GSO 142 |
Tableware made from melamine plastics |
| UAE.S GSO 458 |
Wrapping paper and paper bags |
| UAE.S GSO 462 |
Single-use rigid and semi-rigid plastic cups and containers for packaging beverages, milk products, and allied purposes |
| UAE.S GSO 839 |
Food Packages - Part 1: General Requirements |
| UAE.S GSO 1102 |
Milk paperboard containers |
| UAE.S GSO 1193 |
Polyethylene bags for food packaging applications |
| UAE.S GSO 1791 |
Three piece steel round cans used for canning food stuffs |
| UAE.S GSO 1793 |
The two pieces Aluminum round cans used for canning food (beverages & stuffs) |
| UAE.S GSO 1794 |
The two pieces Steel round cans used for canning foodstuffs |
| UAE.S GSO 1797 |
Round metal cans used for canning food stuffs: definitions, construction, dimensions and capacities |
| UAE.S GSO 1863 |
Food packages - Part 2: Plastic package - General requirements |
| UAE.S/GSO 2075 |
Cook ware made from thermal glass |
| UAE.S/GSO 1008 |
Cold formed Aluminum household utensils |
| UAE.S GSO 2138 |
Tea and herbs bags |
| UAE.S GSO 2014 |
Domestic cookware coating materials |
| UAE.S GSO 1024 |
Non-returnable glass bottles for carbonated beverage |
| UAE.S GSO CAC 193 |
General standard for contaminants and toxins in food |
| UAE.S GSO CAC GL 6 |
Guideline levels for vinyl chloride monomer and acrylonitrile in food and packaging material |
| UAE.S GSO ISO 6486-2:2013 |
Ceramic ware, glass-ceramic ware and glass dinnerware in contact with food -- Release of lead and cadmium -- Part 2: Permissible limits |
| GSO EN 12546-2 |
Materials and articles in contact with foodstuffs. Insulated containers for domestic use. Specification for insulated bags and boxes |
| UAE.S GSO 9 |
Labelling of Prepackaged Foods |
| UAE.S GSO 21 |
Hygienic Regulation for poultry processing abattoir and their personnel |
| UAE.S GSO 1694:2005 |
General Principles Of Food Hygiene |
For details, please access the official website and document of Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology at
http://www.esma.gov.ae/en-us/ESMA/Pages/Laws-and-Legislations.aspx and
Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority at
https://www.adfca.ae/Documents/cop%20contact%20materials.pdf
Unitec provides the comprehensive food contact material test and assessment the international wide standards. For any further enquiry, please contact our business managers or customer services agents.
