The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has launched Saudi Arabia’s first National Food Composition Database, providing comprehensive nutritional information on traditional, home-cooked and commercially available foods in the Kingdom.
The database is intended to provide researchers, healthcare professionals, dietitians, food manufacturers and the public with reliable, locally relevant information on the nutritional composition of Saudi foods.
It includes data on calories, protein, fats and carbohydrates as well as micronutrients and sodium, creating a unified national reference for assessing the nutritional value of foods commonly consumed across the Kingdom.
The initiative addresses a longstanding shortage of region-specific nutritional information, which has often required researchers and health professionals studying Middle Eastern diets to rely on food composition data developed for other populations.
The SFDA expects the database to strengthen public health planning, particularly efforts to address obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease by providing policymakers with more accurate information about dietary patterns and nutrient consumption.
It will also support academic and clinical research by providing a standardised nutritional reference for studies involving Saudi and regional diets.
For the food industry, the database is expected to improve the accuracy and consistency of nutritional labelling, helping manufacturers calculate and declare the nutrient content of packaged products in accordance with established requirements.
The project also forms part of the Kingdom’s broader Saudi Vision 2030 objectives, which include improving population health, strengthening scientific research and promoting greater transparency and standards across the food sector.
By establishing a national reference based specifically on foods consumed in Saudi Arabia, authorities hope the database will support more evidence-based dietary guidance and health policies while providing consumers with better information about the foods they eat.