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On May 16, the National Food Safety Authority (NFSA) issued Decision of Board of Directors No. 6/2022 concerning the binding technical basis for maximum residue levels (MRLs) for chemical contaminants in food, made effective the day following its publication in the Egyptian Chronicles.

On December 19, 2021, Egypt’s National Food Safety Authority (NFSA) released Decision No. 10/2021, the Provisions of Recognition of the Control System Applied by the Exporting Country Competent Authorities in the Context of Imported Food Control. The decision was made effective the day following its publication in the Egyptian Chronicles – Annex 1: unofficial translation is included herein.

• Israel passes amendments to the Public Health Protection Act (Food) to ease and reduce the regulatory burden on food importation. Among the amendments is an importation track called the “European Track” which will come into force on January 1, 2023. • New temporary provision easing the importation of certain sensitive foods, “Public Health Protection Act Food (Certificate of Release for Certain Sensitive Foods) (Temporary Provision)- 2022.” • Cancellation of the additional requirements for importing and releasing food products imported without direct contact with the manufacturer.

The report lists and describes certificates that should accompany food and agricultural products to Israel. It also includes the purpose of each certificate and the governmental agency responsible. In general, an original invoice, bill of lading, packing list, weighing list, health certificate, batch number certificate, invoice declaration, and insurance certificate are required to accompany any shipment. An export certificate matrix is included in this report.

Egypt notified of new halal requirements and procedures for food products. This was disclosed via a Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) third addendum notification to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Neither the notification's commitment to the commenting period nor its entry into force date are specified.

On December 19, 2021, Egypt’s National Food Safety Authority (NFSA) released Decision No. 9/2021, Handling of Imported Food Consignments Subject to Temporary Release, made effective the day following its publication in the Egyptian Chronicles – Annex 1: unofficial translation is included herein.

In June 2022, Israel authorized the import of U.S. processed meat products, thus making the United States the first and only country with market access for processed meat products in Israel.

In the past 10 years the food retail segment in the United Arab Emirates has grown rapidly, with the opening of large-scale hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores, online retailers, and home delivery services all catering to an expanding...

To assist U.S. exporters, FAS Tel Aviv has translated Israel’s limits on heavy metals in foodstuffs.

The United Arab Emirates' food processing sector is expanding due to significant public and private sector investments, low regional tariffs, and a convenient geographic location bolstered by excellent infrastructure. There are over 568 food and...

High cost and freight (CFR) world barley prices have drastically reduced the demand for barley in Saudi Arabia, and contributed to the increased demand for domestically processed animal feed. For MY2021/22, Post projects total Saudi barley imports at...

Egypt imported some $3.8 billion worth of consumer-oriented products in 2021. This is a decrease of 8.67 percent from 2020 imports of $4.1 billion. The United States was the third largest exporter to Egypt with approximately $243 million in exports accounting for roughly 6 percent market share. This is an increase of about 19 percent from 2020 export value of $204 million.