SAUDI RESTAURANT COMPLIANCE GUIDE
SFDA menu and calorie requirements for restaurants in Saudi Arabia
A practical summary of the nutritional information Saudi restaurants and cafés should prepare for paper and electronic menus—including calories, allergens, caffeine, high-salt labeling and physical-activity equivalents.
Calorie disclosure is not the only menu requirement. SFDA publications also address food allergens and, from 1 July 2025, caffeine disclosure, a high-salt icon and the time of physical activity needed to burn an item’s calories.
Official source ↗Saudi menu-labeling timeline
Calories on menus
SFDA announced clear calorie disclosure opposite food items on restaurant and café menus.
Food allergens
The allergenic ingredients in menu items became a required disclosure.
Additional nutritional transparency
Caffeine content, high-salt labeling and physical-activity calorie-burn information took effect under the newer regulations.
The five menu-data areas to review
| Requirement | What the official SFDA material says | Restaurant action |
|---|---|---|
| CaloriesEstablished requirement | Calories should be displayed clearly in the menu in front of the relevant food item.SFDA calorie disclosure guide ↗ | ✓Maintain a verified calorie value for the served portion and show it beside the item across applicable menus. |
| Food allergensEffective since 2019 | SFDA requires disclosure of ingredients that cause food allergies in food menus.SFDA allergen announcement ↗ | ✓Map allergenic ingredients to each recipe and make the disclosure clear to the customer. |
| CaffeineEffective 1 July 2025 | Caffeine in beverages is disclosed in milligrams per 100 ml or per cup, together with a statement that the maximum daily intake for adults is 400 mg.SFDA 2025 regulations announcement ↗ | ✓Record the drink size and verified caffeine amount, then apply the required statement and display format. |
| High saltEffective 1 July 2025 | Items containing more than 5 g of salt (2,000 mg sodium) are identified with the specified salt icon on applicable menus and online ordering channels.SFDA 2025 regulations announcement ↗ | ✓Verify salt or sodium per served item and flag items that cross the official threshold. |
| Physical-activity equivalentEffective 1 July 2025 | Menus indicate the time needed to burn the calories in an item using physical-activity illustrations and a duration in minutes or hours.SFDA 2025 regulations announcement ↗ | ✓Use the approved method and presentation; do not invent an activity duration from an unverified estimate. |
ONE SOURCE OF TRUTH
Build a reliable item-data sheet before updating the menu
Treat compliance as menu-data management, not a graphic-design task. For every sellable item and portion, keep a controlled record that the operations and marketing teams use as the same source.
Item identity
Arabic and English name, category, served portion and branch availability.
Recipe control
Ingredients, quantities, yield, portion size and the date of the latest recipe approval.
Nutritional values
Verified calories plus salt or sodium and caffeine where applicable.
Customer disclosures
Allergens, required icons, statements and physical-activity equivalent where applicable.
Evidence and ownership
Calculation source, reviewer, approval date and the person responsible for future changes.
Publishing status
Paper menu, QR menu and any applicable online ordering channel updated from the same approved data.
A six-step restaurant workflow
- 01
Standardise recipes and portions
A calorie or nutrient value is only useful when the served portion matches the calculation.
- 02
Calculate through an appropriate method
Use a qualified laboratory, approved database or another method accepted under the applicable SFDA guidance.
- 03
Review every required disclosure
Check calories, allergens, caffeine, salt labeling and physical-activity information for applicability.
- 04
Approve one controlled data set
Assign an owner and approval date so staff do not publish conflicting values.
- 05
Publish consistently
Update applicable paper menus, electronic menus and ordering channels from the approved information.
- 06
Recheck after every recipe change
Ingredient, quantity, portion or supplier changes may require the values and disclosures to be reviewed again.
ITEM DATA EXAMPLE
How this should appear in a digital menu record
The operational record should keep the customer-facing item information together, while still retaining the internal source and approval details used to verify it.
آيس سبانش لاتيه
Iced Spanish Latte
220 kcal- Calories
- 220 kcal
- Allergens
- Milk
- Caffeine
- Restaurant to enter verified value
- Salt flag
- Restaurant to assess against threshold
- Activity equivalent
- Restaurant to calculate using approved guidance
DINEINTO
What Dineinto helps the restaurant manage
Dineinto centralises bilingual item names and descriptions, prices, photos, categories, calories, availability, variants and add-ons in the QR menu. This makes menu updates easier to control across the guest experience. The restaurant remains responsible for the correctness of nutritional calculations, allergen information and every required regulatory disclosure.
Start free →- ✓Arabic and English item information
- ✓Item-level calorie field
- ✓Photos, prices, categories and availability
- ✓Variants and add-ons linked to the correct item
- ✓One live menu that can be updated without replacing table QR codes
Pre-publication compliance checklist
- ✓The served portion matches the portion used in the calculation
- ✓Calories are clearly displayed beside each applicable item
- ✓Allergenic ingredients are reviewed and disclosed
- ✓Caffeinated beverages have the required verified information and statement
- ✓Items above the salt threshold use the required label where applicable
- ✓Physical-activity time is calculated and displayed using the approved approach
- ✓Arabic and English versions communicate the same verified information
- ✓Paper, electronic and applicable ordering channels use the latest approved data
- ✓The restaurant retains calculation evidence, reviewer and approval date
VERIFY AT SOURCE
Official sources and verification
Use the official technical regulations and guidance as the controlling source. For a technical interpretation or a business-specific question, contact SFDA through its official channels or unified number 19999.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Are calories the only information required on a Saudi restaurant menu?
No. Official SFDA publications also cover food allergens and the newer caffeine, high-salt and physical-activity disclosures.
Do the newer requirements apply to electronic menus?
SFDA’s announcement specifically refers to restaurant and café menus, including paper and electronic menus for caffeine disclosure, and applicable online ordering channels for high-salt labeling.
Can Dineinto calculate the restaurant’s official calorie value?
Dineinto stores and publishes the value entered by the restaurant. The restaurant must obtain, verify and approve the correct calculation.
What should a restaurant do when a recipe changes?
Review the nutritional values and disclosures again, approve the revised data and update every applicable menu channel.
FROM DATA TO TABLE
Turn approved menu data into a clear bilingual QR menu
Organise the item information once, publish it to the table and keep future updates controlled from the restaurant dashboard.