In January 2013, OAA Dubai convinced the Dubai Health authority to continue accepting the U.S. Free Sale Certificate in lieu of the required health certificate. UAE and other GCC states require every shipment of processed food products to be accompanied by a Health Certificate confirming the products are fit for human consumption. Given that FDA offices in many U.S. States do not issue health certificates, food processors and exporters in those States face challenges shipping their products to the UAE. To ensure uninterrupted entry of U.S. processed food products from all States, OAA Dubai lobbied and convinced Dubai Municipality Health officials to accept U.S. Free Sale Certificates in lieu of health certificates on an annual basis. Every year, OAA Dubai shall through a letter request Dubai Municipality to accept U.S. Free Sale Certificate.
As a result of the agreement, more processed food products from the United States are now entering the UAE market uninterrupted, to the delight of many U.S. food exporters who in the past were unable to obtain health certificates from their States, as required by the UAE. Nearly 75 percent of imported foods to the UAE enter through the Emirate of Dubai. Since the implementation of the agreement, the rejection rate of U.S. processed food exports to the UAE has been reduced tremendously.
