Table of Contents
How to Start a Nuts Trading Business with Meydan Free Zone
Nuts are a deeply embedded part of UAE food culture, served as a hospitality snack, gifted during Eid and Ramadan, consumed as a health food, and used extensively in Arabic sweets, confectionery, and cooking. The UAE confectionery market, valued at USD 991 million in 2024 and driven partly by nut-inclusive sweets and chocolates, reflects the cultural prominence of nuts in premium food gifting.[1] The global nuts and dried fruit market, governed by the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council, has Abu Dhabi as one of its key Middle East members, confirming the UAE's active trading role in this category.
Premium pistachio, cashew, almond, and walnut trading is a significant commercial activity, and the 2024 Abu Dhabi Nutri-Mark labelling initiative specifically covers nut-based products, signalling regulatory attention to this active category.
Who is this for?
| Audience Segment | Profile |
|---|---|
| RETAIL AND GIFTING | Nut and Dried Fruit Retailers Specialist nut shops, premium food retailers, and gifting traders supplying roasted, salted, and flavoured nuts alongside dried fruit in consumer retail and luxury gifting formats. |
| WHOLESALE AND FOOD MANUFACTURING | Bulk Nut Importers and Distributors Importers and distributors supplying raw, blanched, and processed nuts in bulk to UAE confectionery manufacturers, food processors, bakeries, and the regional re-export trade. |
4721.92 - Nuts Trading
Activity 4721.92 covers the trading of nuts. This encompasses almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, pecans, macadamia, hazelnuts, peanuts, pine nuts, and all edible tree nuts and peanuts in raw, roasted, salted, blanched, and flavoured forms, as well as mixed nut products and nut-based snack formats.
Activity 4721.92 covers nuts trading. Dried fruits may also fall under this category or under 4721.07.
In short: if you are trading nuts in any form for consumer, gifting, or food manufacturing use, you are in.
| Category | Scope |
|---|---|
| Premium tree nutsPistachios, almonds, cashews, walnuts, and macadamia nuts in retail packs and bulk formats for consumer and food service. | Mixed nut products Mixed nut assortments, trail mixes, nut and dried fruit blends, and mixed snack nut products. |
| Roasted and seasoned nutsRoasted, salted, flavoured, and spiced nut products in snack formats for impulse retail and gifting. | Peanuts and groundnuts Raw, roasted, and salted peanuts, groundnut products, and peanut-based snack items. |
| Raw and unprocessed nuts | Raw whole, halved, and sliced almonds, cashews, and other tree nuts for food manufacturing and baking use. |
Third-Party Approval
This activity does not require third-party approval to obtain a business license from Meydan Free Zone.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance
This business activity is not subject to AML compliance requirements.
References
- ¹ IMARC Group. (2025). UAE Confectionery Market. imarcgroup.com
