U.S. Food Export to the United Arab Emirates
Chihade International supplies American food products to distributors, hotel groups and franchise operators across the United Arab Emirates, shipped from our SQF-certified facility in Georgia. We are looking for distributor partners in the Emirates.
Why UAE
The UAE imported $27.6 billion of food in 2025 and imports roughly 80% of its agricultural products. Foodservice is worth $18.5 billion across more than 17,700 outlets, grocery retail around $20 billion, and the tourism engine behind it drew over 32 million hotel guests at roughly 80% occupancy.
The UAE is also the region’s re-export hub, so a distributor relationship here frequently reaches well beyond the domestic market of 11.5 million.
What We Do From the U.S.
We are a U.S. exporter. We do not operate warehouses or distribution in the UAE — that is what our distributor partners do. Our job is everything on the American side of the shipment:
- Sourcing from more than 300 U.S. manufacturers, to your specification
- Consolidating mixed loads into full containers, so you are not forced into single-supplier minimums
- Dry, chilled and frozen storage in our 64,000 sq. ft. SQF-certified facility in Lawrenceville, Georgia
- Arabic labelling, stickering and ink-jet date coding applied before goods leave the U.S.
- Export documentation — USDA and health certificates, halal certification where required, certificates of origin
- Ocean and air freight on contracted U.S. lanes, with expedited air for urgent replenishment
Import Requirements We Prepare For
There is no single federal food authority in the UAE, which is worth knowing before you plan a launch.
The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) sets and enforces food safety regulation. The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MOIAT) is the standards body, having absorbed the former ESMA. Port inspection, testing and label approval sit with the individual emirates’ municipalities.
Halal claims require certification from a body on the Emirates International Accreditation Centre (EIAC) approved list.
Labels must be Arabic, or Arabic and English. Critically, Arabic stickers must be pre-approved and applied before export — never completed on arrival. That is exactly the kind of detail we handle in Georgia.
Jebel Ali is the primary container gateway, with Khor Fakkan and Fujairah as alternates.
What We Look For in a Distributor Partner
We are deliberately selective, because these relationships tend to last decades rather than seasons. We are typically looking for:
- An established importer of record, with the licences and clearance experience the market requires
- Real coverage of at least one channel — modern retail, wholesale, foodservice distribution, or franchise supply
- Temperature-controlled storage and distribution appropriate to the categories you want to carry
- A sales team that can place and support a new brand rather than simply warehousing it
- An interest in a long-term programme, including exclusive lines where it makes sense for both sides
If that is a reasonable description of your business, we would like to talk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we get exclusive rights to a brand in our market?
In many cases, yes. Chihade International is the exclusive distributor of Country Sun, our own brand of American cheeses, mayonnaise, frying oils, cheese sauce and breakfast meats. Where it makes commercial sense on both sides, we grant exclusive Country Sun distribution rights by territory — a line your competitors cannot stock. See the range at countrysunfoods.com.
Do you have a warehouse or office in the UAE?
No. Chihade International is a U.S. exporter based in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and we ship from there. We do not hold stock inside the UAE. Local importing, clearance, storage and distribution are handled by our distributor partners — which is precisely the role we are looking to fill.
Do we have to order a full container of a single product?
No. Consolidation is one of the main reasons distributors work with us. We combine products from multiple U.S. manufacturers into one container, so you can carry a broad range without committing to full-truckload minimums from each supplier.
Our previous supplier referred to “ESMA” — is that still the right body?
No. ESMA was absorbed into MOIAT. Documentation or guidance still citing ESMA is working from outdated information, which is one of the more common causes of avoidable clearance delays.
Can you apply the Arabic label before shipment?
Yes, and for the UAE that is effectively mandatory — stickers must be pre-approved and applied before export rather than completed on arrival. We do this in-house in Georgia.
How We Work With Partners in the UAE
Whichever channel you operate in, the U.S. side of the shipment is the same: sourcing, consolidation, preparation and documentation from our SQF-certified facility in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
- Franchise export — supplying U.S. franchise brands at their locations in the UAE.
- Distributor partnerships — for importers and foodservice distributors carrying American lines.
- Retail and supermarket consolidation — an American grocery range without single-supplier minimums.
- Export warehousing and 3PL — dry, chilled and frozen under one roof in Georgia.
- All export services — the full picture of what we handle before a container sails.
- Beef and protein export — U.S. beef, poultry and seafood, including halal programmes, with plant eligibility confirmed for each market.
Useful reading: Halal certification: what actually matters · Multi-language labelling for exported U.S. food · How to become a distributor partner · How franchise export works · all export guides
Become Our Distributor Partner in the UAE
Tell us about your market coverage and the products you are looking for, and we will be in touch about a distribution program.