Browse Data and Analysis

Decision making around GE crops is highly politicized in Germany. The German government is conflicted and has not issued an official statement on the EU Commissions proposal to deregulate the genetic engineering law yet.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) regulations allow the importation of biotech plant products, but they are required to be labeled if they contain more than one percent genetically engineered (GE) plant ingredients.

Saudi Arabia was the 22nd largest market ($1.58 billion) for U.S. food and agricultural products in 2022, an increase of 18 percent compared to 2021.

The General Food Security Authority (GFSA), an agency of the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA), purchased approximately 1.2 million metric tons (MMT) of locally produced wheat in MY2022/23.

With more than 83 million of the world’s wealthiest consumers, Germany is the largest market for food and agricultural products in the European Union.

In August 2023, after more than a decade of political discussions on the restructuring of livestock farming, a new German law on mandatory animal husbandry labeling went into effect.

U.S. exports of consumer-oriented food products to Saudi Arabia increased 23 percent over the past year to a record $656 million due to expansions in online shopping platforms.

Germany is the third-largest importer of cherries in the world after China/Hong Kong and Russia. From 2010 to 2022, between 52 and 77 percent of the cherries consumed in Germany were imported, with the majority of imports originating in other EU member states.

Over the past several years, Saudi Arabia published several new regulations and standards, some of which were notified to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The major export certificates required by Saudi Arabia’s regulatory and import control agencies are included in this Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS) - Certificates Report.

U.S. exports of consumer-oriented food products to Saudi Arabia increased 23 percent over 2021 to a record $656 million mainly due to the continued expansion in online shopping platforms.

Germany is by far the biggest market for food and beverages in the European Union. The food retail sector is saturated, highly consolidated, and competitive.