A practical, bookmark‑worthy guide from Indonesia‑Seafood on how to label retail frozen shrimp for Saudi Arabia. Includes fill‑in‑the‑blank Arabic text, SFDA/GSO references, allergen phrasing, date marking, storage wording, GS1 barcode tips, and a 10‑minute pass/fail check before you print.
If a Saudi inspector can peel your Arabic sticker off by hand, your shrimp won’t clear. We’ve seen it happen. The good news is labeling retail frozen shrimp for Saudi Arabia isn’t mysterious once you know what SFDA checks for at the port and what retailers scan at the shelf.
Below is the exact Arabic template and quick checklist we use when exporting Indonesian shrimp into Saudi supermarkets. Use it as a baseline, then tune it to your spec (peeled, deveined, headless shell‑on, glazed percentage, etc.).
Note on scope: This guide is for retail packs of frozen shrimp entering Saudi Arabia. It doesn’t cover UAE/Qatar variations, wholesale master cartons, halal paperwork, product registration, or duties/taxes.
The 3 pillars of a Saudi‑compliant frozen shrimp label
- Arabic first. GSO 9/2013 makes Arabic mandatory. English is fine as a secondary language, but Arabic must be complete, clear, and not smaller.
- Dates and storage that match the product reality. SFDA officers cross‑check production/freezing logs, shelf life, and storage claims. If your -18°C chain isn’t robust, long shelf lives are a red flag.
- Print execution that survives handling. Non‑removable Arabic, readable barcodes, and net weight that excludes glaze. Most rejections we’ve seen were execution issues, not translation.
A realistic 6‑week run‑up (so you don’t rush print-week)
- Weeks 1–2: Confirm spec and claims. Finalize form (HOSO, HLSO, P&D, PUD), glazing percentage, additives (if any), and shelf life supported by your data. Translate all mandatory text to Arabic.
- Weeks 3–4: Build artwork. Place Arabic on the principal display, set net weight “without glaze,” and lock your date format (DD/MM/YYYY). Order GS1 barcodes and test scannability on mockups.
- Weeks 5–6: Line trials and proofs. Inkjet coding tests for production/expiry/lot on frozen film. Print a small batch and run a pass/fail check against the list below. Share photos with your Saudi importer before you print big.
Fill‑in‑the‑blank Arabic label template for frozen shrimp (retail)
Use as is and replace the brackets with your data. Keep Arabic font at least ~2 mm for mandatory text; larger is safer for readability.
- Name of the food
- روبيان مجمد [مقشر/بقشر] [منزوع العرق/غير منزوع] Optional clarity: روبيان/جمبري (استخدم المصطلحين إن أردت تفادي التفضيلات الإقليمية)
- Ingredients (descending by weight)
- المكونات: روبيان (%100). إذا يوجد تغليز: المكونات: روبيان، ماء (تغليز حتى [٪]). إذا توجد إضافات: منظِّم رطوبة: [اسم المادة] (E[رقم])، ملح [إن وجد].
- Allergen statement
- تحذير الحساسية: يحتوي على القشريات (روبيان). قد يحتوي على آثار من الرخويات والسمك.
- Net weight and glaze
- الوزن الصافي: [___ g/___ كجم]. الوزن الصافي بدون الجليد: [___ g/___ كجم]. تجميد مع غلاف جليدي حتى [٪] (لا يدخل ضمن الوزن الصافي).
- Dates (recommended for frozen shrimp)
- تاريخ الإنتاج: [DD/MM/YYYY].
- تاريخ الانتهاء: [DD/MM/YYYY]. Tip: Use factory inkjet or indelible stamp. Avoid stickers for dates.
- Storage and thawing
- شروط التخزين: يُحفظ مجمداً عند -18°م أو أقل.
- تعليمات: لا تُعد التجميد بعد الذوبان. يُطهى جيداً قبل الاستهلاك.
- Country of origin
- بلد المنشأ: إندونيسيا. (or) بلد المنشأ: جمهورية إندونيسيا.
- Lot/Batch
- رقم التشغيلة (Lot): [________].
- Manufacturer/Importer
- المنتج: [اسم الشركة وعنوانها]. المستورد في السعودية: [اسم المستورد وعنوانه/مدينته].
- Barcode (GS1)
- EAN‑13: [GTIN]. ضعه على سطح مستوٍ مع حواشٍ هادئة كافية. تجنّب الطي/الانحناء.
Optional (when retailer requires): Nutrition panel in Arabic for raw shrimp. It’s normally exempt for single‑ingredient raw products unless you make nutrition claims.
Quick answers to the questions we get most
What Arabic text is mandatory on a frozen shrimp retail label in Saudi Arabia?
Name of food, ingredients, allergens, net weight, date marking, storage, country of origin, lot/batch, and name/address of manufacturer or importer. Arabic must be complete and not smaller than any other language per GSO 9/2013. We always add the “net weight without glaze” statement on glazed shrimp to avoid disputes.
Is an Arabic sticker accepted by SFDA or must it be printed on‑pack?
High‑quality, non‑removable Arabic stickers applied before customs can be accepted. In our experience, three of five rejections involved peelable stickers or stickers covering original info. Dates are the riskiest element to sticker. We recommend Arabic printed in artwork and dates applied by factory inkjet, not stickers.
How should I write the allergen statement for crustaceans in Arabic?
Use: يحتوي على القشريات (روبيان). If cross‑contact is possible: قد يحتوي على آثار من الرخويات والسمك.
Do frozen shrimp in Saudi need production and expiry dates or just best before?
For frozen fishery products, Saudi practice expects both production and expiry dates. We label: تاريخ الإنتاج and تاريخ الانتهاء in DD/MM/YYYY. Some categories use “best before” (أفضل قبل), but for frozen shrimp we stick with production and expiry to avoid delays.
What’s the correct Arabic storage statement for -18°C products?
يُحفظ مجمداً عند -18°م أو أقل. Add: لا تُعد التجميد بعد الذوبان. And if relevant: يُطهى جيداً قبل الاستهلاك.
Can I sell shrimp labeled “prawn,” or should I use روبيان/جمبري on the Arabic label?
Use روبيان or جمبري in Arabic. We often show both once to cover regional preferences. English “shrimp” or “prawn” is fine as a secondary language.
GS1 barcode tips that save headaches at Saudi retail
- Use EAN‑13 for retail. Size at 80–100% magnification, with proper quiet zones. Test with a verifier to ISO/IEC 15416 grade C or better.
- Put the barcode on a flat back or side panel. Avoid corners, seals, and high‑gloss curves that cause scan failures.
- If you change pack count or weight, don’t reuse a GTIN. Saudi retailers increasingly audit data consistency against the scan.
10‑minute pre‑print pass/fail
- Arabic present and complete? Check name of food, ingredients, allergens, net weight without glaze, dates, storage, origin, lot, addresses.
- Dates legible in DD/MM/YYYY, applied by inkjet on the final film, not a removable sticker.
- Allergen line includes القشريات and matches your spec (add الرخويات if risk of cross‑contact).
- Net weight excludes glaze, and any glaze percentage is declared.
- Country of origin says إندونيسيا and matches your documents.
- GS1 EAN‑13 scans on a printed mockup. No distortion or blur.
- Arabic font size ≈2 mm minimum for mandatory info. Print a 100% scale proof and measure.
Common mistakes we see (and how to avoid them)
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Peelable Arabic stickers. Use permanent labels or print Arabic in artwork. If you must sticker, use a freezer‑grade adhesive and apply before customs.
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Missing “without glaze” net weight. Declare it explicitly. It prevents retail disputes and satisfies SFDA expectations for glazed products.
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Over‑promising shelf life. If your cold chain is -18°C steady and packaging is good, 18–24 months can be defensible. If not, shorten it. Inspectors do ask.
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Inconsistent product names. If the pack says “peeled deveined” in English, the Arabic must say مقشر منزوع العرق. Match the form and count (e.g., 21/25) in both languages.
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Barcode on a curve. Move it. Curved placement drops scan rates and causes returns.
Where this applies (and where it doesn’t)
This template and checklist work for retail frozen shrimp in Saudi Arabia under GSO 9/2013 and SFDA practice. For value‑added shrimp (battered, seasoned) you’ll need a full ingredients list with additives, possibly a nutrition panel. For UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, some phrasing and date rules diverge.
Why we care about getting this right
We export Indonesian seafood every week, and we’ve sat through customs delays in Jeddah and Dammam that came down to removable stickers or a missing “without glaze” line. That’s why our shrimp specs and artworks build compliance in from day one. If you want a fast starting point, our Frozen Shrimp (Black Tiger, Vannamei & Wild Caught) packs are already set up for bilingual retail, with IQF or block options and the right on‑pack claims.
Need eyes on your Arabic artwork before you print? We’re happy to sanity‑check translations and date coding. You can Contact us on whatsapp and we’ll point out any red flags in minutes.
Key takeaway: keep Arabic complete and permanent, make dates and storage match your real cold chain, and test your barcode on an actual printed proof. Do that, and Saudi label compliance stops being a gamble and becomes a repeatable process.