São Paulo – Saudi health authorities accepted evidence from poultry exporting countries and local stakeholders and withdrew the measure stipulating the shelf life for frozen chicken meat as three months. The information was released on Monday (16) by the Brazilian Association of Animal Protein (ABPA).
The measure jeopardized international supply due to the short storage period the products would have to stay on the shelves in Saudi Arabia after all the transport time. Brazil is an essential poultry supplier to the Saudi market, but the country has also been encouraging local production.
According to ABPA, Brazil’s arguments were presented by the Brazilian government with support from the entity, based on the Codex Alimentarius standards, a food code with international guidelines, and other globally established criteria that specify, among other aspects, the determination of the shelf life to the producer.
“The acceptance of the decision re-establishes the processes of our talks with the valuable Saudi Arabian market under the criteria guiding international food trade. This is important news for Brazilian exporters, who have a solid and long-standing relationship with this market,” said Ricardo Santin, president of ABPA.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
