“We assure you of our keenness and follow-up on food products in the Kingdom to ensure compliance with the approved standard specifications,” the authority said in a statement on its Twitter account.

The SFDA statement came in response to a report being circulated on social media claiming that one of the well-known biscuit brand available in the Kingdom contained pork fat. The authority routinely subjects questionable products to precautionary laboratory analysis, in order to ensure their authenticity and compliance with the approved standard specifications,” the statement said.

The official account of the Oreo biscuits on Twitter had confirmed that the product was indeed halal. “Our Oreo cookies, made for the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan, are alcohol-free and comply with regulatory requirements in the region,” the company said in a tweet.

“Our manufacturing facilities have obtained halal certification from the relevant authorities,” the tweet added.

The SFDA previously clarified on its official website that soft drinks such as Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola, available in the Saudi markets, are free of pork ingredients.