Planning Ministry Affirms Mandatory Laboratory Testing for All Products

The Ministry of Planning confirmed on Sunday that all food and non-food products undergo laboratory testing, and that test results cannot be validated electronically. Mohammed Yousif, Director of the Food Industries Department at the Standardization and Quality Control Authority, explained that the food sector has seen rapid development in manufacturing, preservation, and packaging in recent years. He noted that scientific warnings about hydrogenated oils and their health risks have led to the search for alternatives such as rice oil, coconut oil, and almond oil, resulting in significant expansion of alternative oil products. He added that dairy products have experienced wide industrial diversification. The ministry has recently focused on clear labeling related to allergens and health warnings, especially for dairy and nut products, as well as caffeine content warnings, emphasizing the necessity of accurately displaying these details on packaging. Yousif confirmed that electronic product conformity is practically impossible since testing requires the physical sample to be submitted to the laboratory for multiple microbial, physical, and chemical analyses to assess compliance with specifications, and electronic substitution is not feasible.