HALAL + KOSHER
FOR GCC LAUNCH

A nutraceutical brand owner approached Admetus Lifesciences with an ambitious plan: launch their Omega-3 + Vitamin E softgel SKU simultaneously into the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) markets — UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar — plus the Israeli market. Combined, these six countries represent a population of ~80M with strong premium-supplement demand, but distinct regulatory frameworks.

The challenge was that the brand needed two different religious certifications (Halal for the GCC, Kosher for Israel) layered on top of country-specific regulatory dossiers, all completed within a 12-week window before their planned regional sales kickoff. They had product- market fit research but no existing manufacturing partner with both certifications under one roof.

The brief arrived in week 0. The first commercial shipment cleared GCC customs in week 12.

Omega-3 softgels are a particularly sensitive case for religious certification because the active ingredient (fish oil) and the softgel shell (gelatin) both have origin requirements:

• Halal requirements stipulate that fish oil sourced from finned, scaled fish is acceptable; the gelatin shell must be from Halal-slaughtered animal sources or fish-derived.
• Kosher requirements overlap significantly: fish from kosher species are acceptable, but the gelatin must be from kosher sources, and the entire production line must be separated from non-kosher materials during the production batch.
• Crucially, both certifications require audit and ongoing oversight from recognized certifying bodies — not self-declaration.

Our Jind facility already held Halal certification covering production line, raw material sourcing, and storage segregation. For this project, we coordinated with a recognized Kosher certifying body to extend certification scope to cover the specific Omega-3 SKU.

The work split across four parallel tracks: certification, formulation, packaging, and regulatory documentation. Running these in parallel rather than sequence is what made the 12-week timeline achievable.

The first commercial shipment cleared Jebel Ali customs without holds in week 12. The Israeli shipment routed via Haifa cleared one week later. Within six months of launch, the brand had established ongoing repeat orders across all six GCC markets plus Israel — turning a single manufacturing partnership into a regional foothold.

The dual-certified Omega-3 SKU also became a foundation for the brand's subsequent ASEAN expansion, since the documentation prepared for GCC regulatory submission (with translation) covered most ASEAN health-supplement registration requirements as well.