GCC Standardization Organization

The GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) is the official standards body of the Gulf Cooperation Council, established in 2001 and headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. GSO develops and publishes harmonised standards for all six GCC member states — Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman — including the foundational halal food and consumer product standards that govern halal compliance across the Gulf region. GSO's halal standards series (GSO 05/FDS, GSO 1931, and related technical regulations) forms the unified regulatory framework that all halal product exporters must satisfy for market entry into any GCC country. GSO standards are aligned with OIC/SMIIC halal standards and are referenced by SFDA (Saudi Arabia), ESMA (UAE), PAFN (Kuwait), and other GCC national authorities in their import compliance programmes. GSO participates in international standards development through ISO, Codex Alimentarius, and SMIIC. For exporters targeting the combined GCC halal food market — one of the world's largest by import value — understanding and complying with GSO standards is the essential starting point.